Hope Springs Eternal
Posted March 21, 2011 @ 2:38 PM | by Marianne Wells
Hope Springs Eternal
A Springtime Message from Marianne Wells Yoga School
Welcome back to my life Spring. It's really been too long since we last met. You bring so much into my life. The icy grip of winter is almost gone as the streams run with meltwater. Birds have come back to sing their songs. Even if the sun can't make it through the clouds today, I'm warm enough to take long walks outdoors. The promise of renewal, of brighter days to come, of lingering outdoors to visit with family and friends, in nature as we were intended to be. Hope springs eternal, and I am grateful to be here in this moment.
This annual renewal of the seasons, from the dark, cold winter to the renewal of springtime brings to mind the story of Pandora's Box. Remember after opening the box and unleashing the suffering of mankind, Pandora was left with one antidote, hope, to make life's misery bearable.
In his book "Emotional Intelligence", Daniel Goleman writes that "hope plays a surprisingly potent role in life. It's believing that you have both the will and the way to accomplish your goals. WIth high levels of hope people are able to motivate themselves, feel resourceful in finding ways to accomplish their objectives, able to reassure themselves when in a tight spot that things will get better, are flexible enough to find different ways to reach their goals, or to switch goals if one becomes impossible, and having the sense to break down formidable tasks into manageable pieces".
Goleman writes " Hope's close cousin is optimism - that life will turn out well. Optimism is an attitude that buffers people from falling into apathy, hopelessness, or depression (human conditions unleashed by Pandora) in the face of tough going. Optimistic people see failure as something that can be changed in order to succeed the next time around. Pessimists take blame for the failure and ascribe it to a characteristic they are helpless to change. Optimism is an attitude that lifts your spirits and helps prevent apathy, depression, and hopelessness." One of my favorite sayings is that "gratitude lifts your attitude". Starting and ending your days with gratitude goes a long way in keeping hope and optimism in your daily life, and can create a profound impact on those around you.
Winter does not give way it's icy grip easily. Much like sukha and duhkha in our daily lives. In his Yoga Journal article titled, The Joy is in the Journey , Richard Rosen defines sukha as "the meaning of gentle, mild, comfortable, and happy. Nowadays we might say of someone who possesses sukha that 'his head's in a good space'." Patanjali laid out the path to enlightenment through a steady yoga practice. But we are mere humans and our paths are filled with daily suffering- or duhkha. As Rosen puts it "the yogis say that ultimately, all sorrow stems from one source, our misconception of who we truly are, which they call avidya, ' not knowing' or 'not seeing' our true Self. We believe we're limited beings, in terms of time, space, and knowledge, which causes us enormous distress, whether conscious or unconscious. We don't know or see clearly that we're exactly the opposite - the eternal, unlimited, omniscient, joyful Self. In other words, at heart, we're all sukha: the end of sorrow comes from the removal of the not-knowing and from reveling in our authentic identity."
With a steady yoga practice we come to find our own personal sukha. While there is a great deal of duhkha involved in the beginner yoga practice, over time one begins to realize that, as B.K.S. Iyengar put it "the goal is to become more and more subtle in the postures over time" as our body and mind are conditioned and we continue on our path to enlightenment.
As a yoga teacher and trainer of yoga teachers, my role is to help reduce the suffering of my students through guidance in proper alignment, safe adjustments, increasing levels of practice. To bring moments of calm, focus, and accomplishment. To guide my students to explore their own duhkha and bring about sukha. And to be grateful for the time they have dedicated in sharing their personal practice with me.
Gratitude, hope, and optimism are all qualities that carry us through our own personal "winters" into the springtime of our daily existence As Buddha wrote, "One in All, All in One - if only this is realized, no more worry about not being perfect." I am grateful for this day. Grateful for my life. And most importantly grateful that hope does indeed spring eternal.
Shanti,
Marianne
This annual renewal of the seasons, from the dark, cold winter to the renewal of springtime brings to mind the story of Pandora's Box. Remember after opening the box and unleashing the suffering of mankind, Pandora was left with one antidote, hope, to make life's misery bearable.
In his book "Emotional Intelligence", Daniel Goleman writes that "hope plays a surprisingly potent role in life. It's believing that you have both the will and the way to accomplish your goals. WIth high levels of hope people are able to motivate themselves, feel resourceful in finding ways to accomplish their objectives, able to reassure themselves when in a tight spot that things will get better, are flexible enough to find different ways to reach their goals, or to switch goals if one becomes impossible, and having the sense to break down formidable tasks into manageable pieces".
Goleman writes " Hope's close cousin is optimism - that life will turn out well. Optimism is an attitude that buffers people from falling into apathy, hopelessness, or depression (human conditions unleashed by Pandora) in the face of tough going. Optimistic people see failure as something that can be changed in order to succeed the next time around. Pessimists take blame for the failure and ascribe it to a characteristic they are helpless to change. Optimism is an attitude that lifts your spirits and helps prevent apathy, depression, and hopelessness." One of my favorite sayings is that "gratitude lifts your attitude". Starting and ending your days with gratitude goes a long way in keeping hope and optimism in your daily life, and can create a profound impact on those around you.
Winter does not give way it's icy grip easily. Much like sukha and duhkha in our daily lives. In his Yoga Journal article titled, The Joy is in the Journey , Richard Rosen defines sukha as "the meaning of gentle, mild, comfortable, and happy. Nowadays we might say of someone who possesses sukha that 'his head's in a good space'." Patanjali laid out the path to enlightenment through a steady yoga practice. But we are mere humans and our paths are filled with daily suffering- or duhkha. As Rosen puts it "the yogis say that ultimately, all sorrow stems from one source, our misconception of who we truly are, which they call avidya, ' not knowing' or 'not seeing' our true Self. We believe we're limited beings, in terms of time, space, and knowledge, which causes us enormous distress, whether conscious or unconscious. We don't know or see clearly that we're exactly the opposite - the eternal, unlimited, omniscient, joyful Self. In other words, at heart, we're all sukha: the end of sorrow comes from the removal of the not-knowing and from reveling in our authentic identity."
With a steady yoga practice we come to find our own personal sukha. While there is a great deal of duhkha involved in the beginner yoga practice, over time one begins to realize that, as B.K.S. Iyengar put it "the goal is to become more and more subtle in the postures over time" as our body and mind are conditioned and we continue on our path to enlightenment.
As a yoga teacher and trainer of yoga teachers, my role is to help reduce the suffering of my students through guidance in proper alignment, safe adjustments, increasing levels of practice. To bring moments of calm, focus, and accomplishment. To guide my students to explore their own duhkha and bring about sukha. And to be grateful for the time they have dedicated in sharing their personal practice with me.
Gratitude, hope, and optimism are all qualities that carry us through our own personal "winters" into the springtime of our daily existence As Buddha wrote, "One in All, All in One - if only this is realized, no more worry about not being perfect." I am grateful for this day. Grateful for my life. And most importantly grateful that hope does indeed spring eternal.
Shanti,
Marianne
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About the Author
Marianne Wells has been inspiring and influencing others throughout the world for many years. A leader in the yoga community, Marianne is committed to handing down the lineage of health and happiness through her methodology based on traditional teachings adapted for today's world. Marianne is committed to not brand her "style," preferring to teach the heritage of the tree of yoga in her comprehensive curriculum. Marianne Wells - E500 RYT, is also a member of IAYT - International Association of Yoga Therapists.
If you are ready to explore the depths and history of yoga, develop skills that will change your life and those you teach, and become certified as a yoga instructor, please register now. Marianne Wells Yoga School - a Yoga Alliance Registered School - offers yoga teacher training that has helped launch successful yoga careers and studios globally. Currently accepting enrollment for 200 RYT teacher trainings December 2011 and 2012 at The Goddess Garden in Cahuita,Costa RIca; in January 2012 at Costa Rica Yoga Spa located in Nosara on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, and 300 hour Yoga Therapy Training February 4 -25 , 2012 at Haramara Retreat in Sayulita, Mexico. Haramara Retreat, featured in the November 2010 issue of Yoga Journal magazine (page 81) as one of the 5 posh yoga destinations worth the splurge, is located about 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. Sayulita is a popular destination for tourists, snow birds and surfers all looking to enjoy the Pacific surf in warm weather in a safe place.
Register now at Marianne Wells Yoga School Calendar and Registration.
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Inspired Philosophy
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Marianne Wells, Marianne Wells Yoga School, Yoga Teacher Training, The Goddess Garden, yoga teacher training costa rica, costa rica yoga spa, nosara yoga teacher training, haramara retreat, 200 RYT Teacher training, yoga alliance, yoga therapy training, IAYT, emotional intelligence, daniel coleman, richard rosen