Be. Do. Have.

The order is important.  

When we are BEING who we are called to BE, then we will DO the action needed to HAVE an impact.

Here is an example of how it breaks down if you put the words in this order.  

Be. Positive

Do.  Yoga Teacher Training

Have.  Mental health shifted in our community.

The recent documentary, “The Weight of Gold” is a perfect example of how many athletes are dealing with deep levels of depression and anxiety because they didn’t start with BEING inspirational.  They GOT it from the glory of competing in the Olympics…but that glory is temporary.  

How many celebrities can you count that have had a lead roll in a movie or hit album, got famous and then lost it all after turning to drugs and alcohol?  

We have to start by BEING who we are meant to be and BEING who we know we can be.  Don’t seek BEING outside of yourself. It lives in you.

This is where the practice of yoga enters.  It is a practice.  It’s not IF we will fumble, but rather when.  We will fumble.  

We might not BE inspirational, patient, courageous or fill in the blank 100% of the time, yet it’s good to try things on just like we would a new fashion trend.  If we try on “BEING” patient even when we don’t HAVE what time or the government is not DOING what we want them to do with laws, we allow the possibility of an immediate energetic shift.  

Here’s an example.  

One way to BE as a mother is patient.   

Great in theory.  

Until I’ve patiently worked with my child to put clothes on and we end up with only 7 minutes on the clock to drive 3 miles across town before they lock the doors for school.  

You get it.  

Our circumstances aren’t always the breeding grounds for us being our most patient selves.  

In that moment, I have a choice.  I can be a crazy bitchy mother (nailed it a million times), or I can take a deep breath and remind myself who I can be. 

Breathe in patience.  Breathe out anxiety.  

And I’m patient… temporarily… until I forget who I want to be.  

I fumble.  

Then I look back and I reflect and I try to do better.  And I get it wrong again.  

This is the story of my life in so many ways right now - be patience, be clear in communication, be kind, be inspirational, be positive, be forgiving. I want to be all these things, and I mess up royally… over and over.

All we have is our best at that moment.

Circumstantially, most of us are lacking right now.  It is more important than ever to get good sleep, eat well, get exercise, fresh air, sunshine, meditate and have some space without noise and to practice yoga.  

At the end of a yoga class, we say, “Namaste.”  There are a lot of interpretations of this word and one that I have included lately is we are acknowledging the best in ourselves and others.  We are acknowledging who we were, who we are and who others were and who others are.  It is a word that acknowledges the end and the beginning.  A word that acknowledges both accepting and detaching from what happened and creating new space for the best that can possibly BE.  

Namaste

*Credit to Deborah Williamson for introducing this topic in Yoga Life Coach Certification training 11 years ago and to Paige Elenson for the reminder in our Yoga Sutras discussion last month.