Dear Melissa,
Happy New Year everybody! 2007 is here and
winter classes are in full swing. I am so proud
of all of you who have made a commitment or
re-commitment to practicing yoga, pilates and
improving your
nutritional intake. January is a time of new
beginnings, reflection and renewal. In our culture
we typically celebrate the New Year with a tradition
of making New Year’s resolutions. For many, New
Year’s resolutions typically involve getting in
shape, losing weight, quitting smoking, and getting
organized.
Looking back
2006 was a big year for me. After many years I
finally completed my long-term goal of successfully
defending my Ph.D. dissertation. This was a resolution I
had made every year since 2002. Each year I would
forward this enormous goal hoping that maybe 2003, 2004,
2005, or 2006 would be the year to complete the giant
task. In December of 2006, I finally achieved my goal.
One of the greatest pleasures in achieving this
milestone is not having to forward it to my list of
goals in 2007.
After years of looking at the big picture and long
term projects I have chosen to take the lessons I have
learned from studying yoga philosophy and turn inward to
the present moment when setting my intentions for 2007.
My goal for 2007 is to be fully present in the moment,
whatever that moment may be. In always pushing for deep
and profound experiences one can lose sight of the joy
and divinity in the ordinary and everyday. Dr. David R.
Hawkins, author of Power vs.. Force writes
"...because just being ordinary in and of itself is
an expression of divinity; the truth of one's real self
can be discovered through the pathway of everyday life.
The commonplace and God aren't distinct. To live with
care and kindness is all that is necessary; the test
reveals itself in due time."
Maybe it is important in our goal-driven,
achievement- oriented society to shift our focus from
accomplishments to being fully present in everyday
experiences. We are after all “human beings” not “human
doings.” One of the most inspiring women to walk this
earth, Mother Teresa, espouses great words of wisdom
when she states, "We may not all do great things while
on this earth but we can all do small things with great
love."
