Talking truth about "self-improvement" as it relates to health, overall wellness and expressing the truest version of you. This is Marta Mrotek with Something Honest….

I think it’s pretty common to feel a little helpless when there’s something in your life that seems out of control. You start looking at everything that’s not working and you might start feeling like you don’t have the energy to do the work that would be required to change any of it. But no matter what’s going on around you, it’s good to remember that you can still take control of you. Most things worth having do take some hard work and some patience.. but once you get clear about what you can do.. discipline is all you really need to start taking action on what is yours change.

Today we’re going to start working on a practice that inspires patience and stability as you work with the Principle of Discipline to start taking meaningful action. We’ve already done a fair amount of talking about what discipline really means and how you can start making amendments and improvements to any part of your life right now. We’ve also touched briefly on the idea that you might not always start seeing results immediately and that it might take some practice to find the right balance between thought and action. Most of us really are caught up in patterns of over or under activity, and it definitely takes some self-discipline to find the right balance there. Finding balance leads to stability, it leads to strength and the ability to wield your true power. And that very much relates to being able to control your own thoughts and understand your emotions and take action with really clear intentions about what you’d like to create. We call this the determination practice because it not only fosters the focus for determining and discerning right action, but it also creates that right kind of stable, healthy energy that you’ll need to fuel and sustain your determined efforts for the long haul. And even if it takes a while for anything to start changing on the outside you’ll just know that you’re already doing what you need to do to start expressing the best version of you. I’ve said it before almost everything that we’ve done up to this point is preparation for lift off so we’re going to talk just a little bit about how to fly and how to win.

If you’ve been listening along during yoga story time you already know that all of the warrior poses are named after a Hindu hero named Virbhadra. There are several related postures but the three that are most commonly referenced are Virabhadrasana A, B and C or Warrior I, Warrior II and today we’re going to start taking about Warrior III. Now, the story that I told about Warrior I is a pretty classic version but the one that I told for Warrior II colors way outside those lines and into my personal opinion and the same goes kind of for what I’d like to talk about today. But I’ll just briefly give the rundown from the classic text. The official story for all three poses quite simply describes our hero friend, this avatar of Shiva, in battle, with three images of him, first warrior, ready for battle, swords drawn, second warrior, taking aim to strike and finally here in third warrior, reaching out to put his opponent’s head on a stake and declare victory… I know, it’s pretty dark… But, it helps, a little, if I just add, that there is some remorse in the way some teachers interpret humble warrior and if you ever read the whole story there really is a great lesson in there about forgiveness and making amends and really and maybe a twisted kind of redemption in the end when Shiva kind of brings this poor guy back to life by putting a goats head on his shoulders. So yeah, it’s quite a story. But for our purposes and more of my own personal spin on these three main postures, Warrior III isn’t just a peak pose, it’s peak moment, it’s about claiming victory. And that really is what we want to talk about here. We have reached a point in our process where something big is happening and the work that you’re doing here really should feel like a win. All of that determination and focus in paying off, we’ve reached lift off, we’re proving it as we declare victory over our own minds and bodies, and the pose itself, once mastered, really does feel a little bit like flying.

Physical Practice

There are several ways to move into Warrior III but the easiest way, and what I recommend for most beginners working on this particular practice, is to start from Humble Warrior and instead of coming back up, put your hands on the ground and shift your weight to the forward foot. Once your stable there you start working on finding your balance, lifting the back leg up, trying to get it parallel with the hips and little by little bring the arms out to the side like your flying. And if you’re new to this it will most likely take some practice. But once you’ve found your balance and built some strength in the standing leg you can start from that Open-Hearted Warrior and simply shift your weight forward without releasing the bind of the hands, staying strong in the standing leg, bringing the back leg up, eventually reaching both arms forward so that you’re in one long straight line fingers to toes. And I really love this progression. It starts out humble, learning to fly and in time, with an open heart, with some practice, with some discipline and some determination it teaches up how to win. It’s a great physical reminder that there are little wins along the way and there is something you can do right now. It might feel hard at first… do it anyway. You will probably have to work on it to get stronger and that will probably take some patience.. so you just keep doing it. And if you keep at it, at some point, it will get easier and all of the sudden it really does feel like flying. And at some point there’s this really great feeling of power, of being able to control your body and the motivation that comes from being able to that and this huge metaphor here about your life opens your mind to every possibility and that really is eventually the path to freedom.

The hand gesture that I use for discipline is Shuni Mudra or the seal of patience. And his one is commonly used to encourage not just that kind of long-term goal of patience but everything that you need to get there. So you’re increasing stability, discernment, focus and discipline. It’s very simply taken by bringing the tips of the thumb and the middle finger together and leaving all of the other fingers outstretched. The thumb here represents your divine nature, right? Your true self, that highest version of you. And the middle finger represents the decision to do what needs to be done, doing your duty, taking responsibility for what you do and the idea that this really is what you need to do to be that best version of you. This is the moment where we start getting really serious about self-expression. Not just thinking about it, not just talking about it, but actually going out there and living it all the time.

So we’re going to take a quick break here and when we come back we’ll get to work on this third part of the integration process with a practice for increasing determination in the Discipline Challenge.

We’re back and working on the third part of a three-part practice, with our intentions set once again on the process of Integration. This third ritual is be used for two primary purposes. And we’ve already talked about this quite a bit but just briefly, our two main goals here are first to determine right action, to be clear about what needs to be done and second to immediately find the motivation and determination to follow that up with the action itself.

Determination Ritual

If you’ve got everything you need close by, you’ll want to get yourself set up in a comfortable seated position. Sit up tall with the spine nice and straight. And as you take your first deep breath or two here, we’ll go back that idea of grounding and feeling the contact point where your body meets the floor or the chair… Acknowledging the feelings of stability and strength that come from that connection. And then another breath or two working on reaching up through the crown of the head, and there’s a little bit of that getting ready for lift off and a sense of lightness there, keeping the chin either parallel with the floor or just slightly tucked. Shoulders stay relaxed, gently pulled back and down, and the chest slightly lifted. And once you feel comfortable here start with the hands resting on the knees or thighs with the palms facing up, for bringing energy levels up or facing down for calming anything that feels hectic or overactive. Remember we’re working on finding the right balance here so just know that this is something you really want to pay attention to and just know that you can change this at anytime. Starting to tune into that idea of when is my energy under or overactive.

If you’re all ready to go we’ll start with pretending… And that idea that you’re practicing for some time when you really need this… I will say that this is something that most of us need most of the time so we really are moving into something that can be used as a daily practice, but for now just imagining that you just noticed a seemingly negative thought, emotion or physical reaction that points to something that needs to be done. And again, this doesn’t have to feel like a great big thing or something that feels specifically negative. We are using here to get really clear, to determine the exact action that needs to be taken. Looking for information that brings that really strong sense of determination and conviction to do even those things that feel hard. Working on growing motivation, especially in challenging situations, paying extra attention to emotions that might feel like laziness, hesitancy or complacency that relates to lethargic energy and the maybe the opposite if you notice something that feels more like impulsivity or any other hectic energy that needs to be tamed. And as soon as something comes to mind, you’ll stop what you were doing, and if you can, close your eyes and take a big deep breath. Taking a big breath in through the nose and an audible exhale to sigh it out through the mouth. Knowing that you can do this next part mentally, with your eyes open, but if your eyes are closed and you’ve got free hands, we’ll start by rubbing the palms of the hands together… Breathing normally, increasing the amount of friction between the hands, adding a little extra muscle and speed until they feel nice and warm. And when it feels right hold them out like you’ve got that big glowing energetic ball in front of your chest. And just like we’ve been doing… while the sensation is still strong, see if you can move that energy around a little bit, shifting the edges of that big ball of Energy. And at some point, pressing in slowly, mentally condensing that energetic ball, just a little at a time, and squeezing out anything that has been keeping you from doing what needs to be done. Breathing as you move the hands toward center, even if the sensation starts to fade, and eventually feeling the fingertips touch, readjusting to line them up if you need to, and holding the hands in close to your chest, holding this new thing that you want to make in your mind, picturing this improvement, or solution or even a physical goal as if you already had it. And we’ll take a big breath here just to affirm the fact that somewhere in there you do know everything that you need to know about any situation or challenge and what you can do right now to start addressing it and expressing yourself in a more authentic way… and you do already have everything that you need, all of the energy  to do it. So, breathe in deeply and exhale completely. With your next inhale flatten out the palms so the hands are together at the center of the chest, palms pressed, all of the fingers lined up in that prayer position…. and a big exhale here to hold. Breathing in now spread the fingers out with palms still pressed and as you exhale interlace the fingers so that they’re bound together at heart center.. taking just one slow deep breath here... Start with empty lungs and breathe in connecting with the best possible outcome... Holding at the top of the breath just for a moment to affirm what’s best for you... and then with a long soft exhale let go of anything that’s been standing in your way and let that sink in for a second… Keeping the heels of the hands pressed together but opening the fingers slowly, so that the little fingers and thumbs are still touching and all of the other fingers open up wide and away from each other, fingertips extending up and reaching, opening yourself up to what’s best for everyone involved and connecting with that higher version of you. And bringing both of those things together now, who you are and what you want, if you need to, you can open your eyes here just for a second as you bring the tips of both middle fingers to touch the tips of both thumbs… I like to picture this as all of the information and energy I need crystalizing there in my fingertips…. And we’ll take three slow deep breaths here to picture everything you need, right there, you’ve already got it, taking you closer every day to who you are and what you want… so big inhale… holding to enhance that image at the top and a big exhale to let go of every reason or excuse that’s been keeping you stuck. Now you’re at the bottom of the breath… breathing in again with more intention. Feel the chest lift and hold to feel for the solution and the energy for action as it builds… and a more forceful exhale, pushing away any impatience or feeling of imbalance. Last breath, making it the best one, breathing in deeply, feel the lungs expanding out in every direction... holding for as long as you can, growing energy at the top of the breath… and when you just can’t hold it anymore a great big sigh… And breathing in and out through the nose we’ll set our intention here, “I am disciplined in all of my actions and mindful in the use of my energy.” And then just another breath or two here, growing your understanding of what needs to be done… knowing that even if you don’t have it all figured out there is always something that you can do right now to start becoming that best version of you… growing the energy to start taking action and still growing that really clear picture of the best possible outcome. 

Resolving now, still holding the hand gesture but bringing the hands down to rest in your lap or on the thighs, palms facing up here, still open, still receptive, still set on self-expression and right action … Still really tapped into that part of you that knows who you are.. The part of you that knows exactly what you want and exactly what to do… allowing any information that floats to the surface...

Letting the breath move naturally, not trying to control it. Noticing, any energetic shift, any shift in attitude. Affirming any healing that might have happened or might still be happening… Recognizing any change in your state or shift in perspective and taking special note of what you’re feeling now. Maybe taking just a moment to mentally or verbally affirm your intentions... Maybe just to find the energy to get up and get moving… or to gain a deeper understanding of what really is yours to change… or to see who you are and what you want more clearly. Staying here until you recognize the desire to move. But not moving just yet. And this time asking yourself, “What one thing would make an immediate change for the better if I just decided to do it? What’s first? What’s right? What’s next?” Always looking at that next right thing, whether it includes amends that need to be made with other people or something that you just need to do to make things better with yourself... Letting everything that you know about that Higher Version of you guide you into meaningful action…. And when it feels right, open your eyes, do it slowly. See if you can hold still here for another breath or two… and if you have your journal nearby pick up your pen and write about your experience.

We’ve been using prompts to help you explore a little further for this one we’ve got a little string of questions to write about.. First asking, “What do I really want?...”  And then even more importantly, “Who do I want to be?..”  And finally exploring every option, “What can I do right now to get closer to those two things?”  Taking as much time as you need to write about everything that you’ve learned about this principle, maybe going back to some of those lists that you’ve been making. Knowing that cleaning up any of that old stuff that’s been hanging over your head might take some discipline but that this principle really can set you free.

If you’re ready wrap things up we’re going back, one more time, to the Challenge Question for Discipline …

Challenge Question

We’ve been asking, “What can I do right now to move toward something entirely good?” And hopefully the work that we did together today has given you some clear ideas about where to start. Discipline isn’t so much about the end result as it is about the process and the action that we choose to take in the present moment. And we’ll talk more about making real progress and seeing real change as we start working on perseverance and how combining these two principles takes you to where you want to go but try not to get to caught up in that. It is important to have a clear picture of you what you want and where you want to go, but I’m hoping you’re convinced by now that everything that’s really important, everything that counts is always happening right now.

We’ve got a link in the description for the Something Honest Instagram if you’d like a visual reference for today’s pose, so go check that out.

As always I want to thank you so much for listening. Be sure you’re all set up to get notifications and come back next week to start working on Perseverance.

Check out the description to find the links for show notes on the podcast page and go to wellnessmeetings.com for more about the Wellness Meetings Method….. Something Honest is a Wellness Meetings production with original music composed and produced by James Mrotek at Mrotek Media.

This is Marta Mrotek sending out all kinds of love and endless gratitude. Until next time, let’s all get to work on being well!