Place your awareness in the center of yourself.  When your mind is chattering and your ego is screaming for your attention, can you find the place that is unmovable?  Can you find the center of stillness?

At some point in our practice there is a shift.  There is a moment where the voices telling us we feel this way, or should act this other way, no longer occupy center stage.  There is a moment in time where all the thoughts, feelings, and emotional states become mere characters in an ever unfolding manifestation, where the stage is an infinite expanse, silent and imperturbable. This is the moment of true surrender, some call it samadhi. (For a greater discussion on samadhi, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samadhi).

The full moon was a few nights ago and as a woman I feel intimately connected with the hormonal shifts that occur like the tides of a vast ocean.  As this watery energy takes over my consciousness I use yoga and other forms of physical activity to create a focal point ordrishti in my life.  (Drishti normally refers to the point of visual focus during an asana practice. Here I use it as a metaphor).  In other words I create a metaphorical  rock in the ever flowing river of consciousness.

Asana Practice: Today I applied the principles of yoga, as well as, included specific asana in to my cardio and weight lifting workout.  At first I ran three miles fast on a treadmill, while doing hills.  While many people would not consider this yoga, I believe that it is someone’s intention and approach to life that determines whether they are practicing yoga. I allowed my body and mind to intensely focus, as the workout demanded its full attention, while placing my awareness in the vast stillness of meditative mind.

After my run, I lifted weights and did lunges and squats.  I am an ex-competitive athlete and I love watching how yoga, and the awareness it has brought me, has changed the way I sculpt my body.  I have gained a deep level of communication with my physical form, and I have cultivated a strong aptitude for listening.  I am so grateful to be able to turn to physical activity for yet another form of meditation.  It has such a magical way of turning me deep in to the center of my own silence.

Lesson Learned: Apply the listening and focusing techniques of yoga to western athletics and learn the power of listening, even on a treadmill.