Mantra: I Am Passionate
Exercise: Single Object Focus
In the steam room at the gym tonight five women discussed the hot topic of Tiger Woods and his supposed extramarital affairs that continue to headline our news. With all the play by play commentaries on his chip in the bunker, I pondered the relationship between athleticism and sexuality.
As a Yoga instructor, I have taught many professional athletes. There is no doubt that increased physical fitness and body awareness tends to increase one's sexual appetite. Our sexuality is a very powerful and very healthy component of being human. It is essentially the driving force to creation, but sexuality is not limited solely to sex. Whether passion is used romantically with another person or whether it is used philanthropically for a specific social cause, for example - it is still the same force.
The energy around the sport of golf is very meditative and energetic. The focus and detailed accuracy required by the game is magnetic. All of these qualities are very attractive and very sensual. You know the saying, "Still waters run deep". Tiger consistently played at a heightened level of mental and physical control that oozes power. If I may suggest, I believe that he simply lacked the consciousness of how to use this energy off of the course in alignment with the roles which he represented.
Even though I can imagine that Tiger was overwhelmed with the power that he stumbled upon as a result of his sport, I am in no way condoning the suggested choices and behaviors that he may have made. I am a believer in honesty, commitment and integrity, and it does not seem that he adhered to these principles. When we live a lie, the illusion will eventually crumble, as our innate truth is always looking to be revealed. It takes a lot of energy and effort to maintain a lie, and eventually one will tire of it.
What I am driving at here is conscious power. Attention creates energy. Energy creates force. Force creates power. Power needs an outlet. How impressive that Tiger was able to focus, practice and master such physical and mental skill that he displayed in his game. It seems a pity that he used this accumulated energetic wealth so frivolously and destructively off the green. I would have loved to have seen the results of him having extended his drive into his marriage, family and personal purpose.
In the world of Yoga, Patanjali (the Grandfather of Yoga) formulated Eight Limbs, or practices, for Yoga to comprise of. The sixth limb is called Dharana. Dharana may be translated as "holding", "holding steady", "concentration" or "single focus". Dharana is the initial step of deep concentrative meditation, where the object being focused upon is held in the mind without consciousness wavering from it.
Your exercise for today is two-fold:
#1. Please sit in meditative stillness focusing on one object for at least twenty minutes. Your object of focus could be on the tip of your nose, a Hanukah candle, a Christmas light, etc. Do your best to not let your attention drift from the object. Basically I would like you to witness the accumulated energy and sensuality that results of this practice. This is money in your piggy bank, so to speak.
#2. So as not to stagnate your energy system, please use this accumulated energy in a positive, conscious and creative manner. Your options are endless - finishing a work project, a creative project at home, creative expression/communication, spending quality time with your family/children, making love to your partner/spouse, donating to your favorite social cause, or even re-channeling the energy back into your personal health and healing. Please do not feed a covert addiction or practice that does not align with your personal integrity.
An equal flow of such accumulation and expenditure combined with conscious intention will initiate passion. It will also allow you to access your innate power and to use it to create a positive, healthy and conscious life.
"Life is a sum of all your choices." ~ Albert Camus
Have a passionate day...
Alanna