What a Yogi Learned at Football Camp

June 2013

4th and 1

I should clarify.  4th and 1 is not simply a "football camp"  It is a free football and life skills camp for student-athletes. I am beyond proud to have been a part of this innovative program founded by Daron Roberts,  Cleveland Browns defensive quality control coach and a graduate of Harvard Law School.

For six days, the student-athletes lived on the Jacksonville University campus and gained exposure to college life. They were exposed to college admissions counseling, business skills training, life skills courses, and motivational speakers. The curriculum also included daily yoga, résumé writing workshops, SAT skills classes, dinner etiquette instruction and of course football.  

WHAT I LEARNED AT FOOTBALL CAMP

 

Football is not a game. It is an opportunity to:

• • work with others toward a common goal  
  • be courageous and take chances
  • succeed and celebrate
  • let go of the past -  errors happen, what now?  
  • be an encourager  
  • trust others  
  • protect others
  • to trust that others are protecting you
  • forgive, move on and trust again (see above)
  • Play, laugh, breathe, experience joy and roll with the unexpected!  
•  

Be amazed. 

 

From a physical standpoint, can you see how side angle, triangle, our revolving poses, shoulder opening poses, and warriors (quad strength and knee stability) benefit this movement?  From a mental standpoint,, do you

think there might be a tiny bit of focus to create the just right timing necessary to catch the ball at this height? All while potentially surrounded by others working to stop you!

 

Beautiful. 

.

My Yoga Philosophy as Applied to Football

• It is not where you start, it is how far you travel
• Persistence combined with patience pays off
• Accomplished athletes are yogis on the field.  they are focused, in the moment, working at the body's capacity,and removers of obstacles
• You don't need a mat to practice seva (selfless service) Too many examples to begin to describe!     

 

Check out this beautiful Side Angle Pose!

 

What I will carry with me:

 

When given a place of acceptance we shed our protective exterior. and the true self emerges   The true self is beautiful, joyful and kind.  It takes strength and courage to expose the true self.  The 4th and 1 student athletes have strength and courage.

 

 

 

 

What triangle looked like on day 3.

Beautiful, right? 

 

 

 

The camp is sponsored through a grant from the

Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation.

 

A special shout out to the Jacksonville Jaguars Organization, for making generous contributions to our city and its residents. I am grateful for the time, the professionalism and graciousness shown to the 4th and 1 participants. How awesome for them to get to see the stadium, locker room,and talk with accomplished professional athletes!  No longer a fair weather fan, I'll be cheering. I am all in!     . 

 

 

4th and 1 student athletes in the Jag locker room!

 

A deep bow of gratitude to the MMY community for generously doanting yoga mats for all student athletes!  Thank you for participating with me!

Loving Service

From time to time, I wake up  with a thought- something that I feel  I “must” say.  Sometimes with an understanding of where it is coming from.  Other times it is simply something that in my mind needs to find the printed form.

This is what came to me this morning>

There is no greater pain than witnessing the suffering of someone you love deeply.

There is no greater gift than having someone to love with such completeness that their pain is yours. 

In the midst of dealing with the pain of a loved one, due to illness or other reason, we may find ourselves teetering between regret of the past (and the often accompanying guilt) and the fear of what lies ahead. 

If you find yourself in the midst of this balancing act between past and future, I encourage you to bring yourself to the “right now”.

Smile, enjoy and roll around in this glorious, beautiful, present moment.  Right now.  And now.   And now. 

Pause here.  Take a breath and consider how you are just fine in this one second, this one moment.  And in this moment.  And in this moment. Without the thoughts of the past, or the worries of the future, just this one beautiful moment. 

If you are caring for a loved one.   Hold the gift of the moment to love and nurture.  If you are being cared for, hold the gift of the moment to not just be loved, but to allow the gift of service to another.  Knowing that loving service is the most precious gift to be given and received.   The energy, the love is traveling both ways, from recipient to recipient.

It is my belief that the way to living a meaningful life is to live each moment with attention, as if it is the only one that matters.  In truth, it is.  When living this way, mindfully, our choices fall in line with our personal truth, our Satya. When we live  our precious moments with clarity and intention, loving, giving and receiving  with attention and appreciation, we will end up with a collection of beautiful  moments, without regret or fear.

Love generously.  Give generously.  Receive generously.

Namaste,

Terri

Healing Grief

Recently I had a conversation with my mother regarding grief and how individuals seem to process grief differently. After much thought on this topic, and my mother's wise words, I have this to offer. We all grieve at some point in our lives, the obvious loss of loved ones and pets, but also dreams, performance in our careers, stressful human relationships - dissappointment can come in many ways.

When disappointment and sadness appear, consider this:

Consider the idea that each of us has a spirit that is good and capable of handling all that life is throwing at us. A spirit that is loving and compassionate. Our NATURE is loving, good and capable.

We also have a mind, that is conditioned by our life experiences. Often telling us things that are not helpful or kind.

When dissappointment and grief arise, it is not the spirit that is in pain or suffering, but the mind, telling the story of what should have been, speaking to us of our shortcomings and speaking to us of the meaning of our loss.

Our feelings, followed by actions, may stem from the spirit - a place of love and compassion, or from the mind - a place that is often directed toward suffering.

When feelings of sadness and disappointment arise, try practicing your awareness meditation. See if you can get past the stories that the mind is bringing you and tune in to the more basic, simple spirit of love, kindness, strength and simplicity.

Anxiety, Stress Relief and Yoga

It seems more and more often I am listening to stories about the stress many of you are experiencing in your work and in your daily lives.

Many of you are experiencing stress over how to honor your work and family commitments, you are caring for aging parents, worrying about your children, concerned about your own health and about the health of those you love. You are concerned about your financial well-being and job security the list seems endless.

All of this stress creates an unhealthy body and mind and prevents you from fully enjoying your life and the opportunities available to you.....I know, one more thing to worry about, right?

I am looking forward to sharing Mindful Motion Yoga's current online offering from our at home study program. "Easing Stress and Anxiety" is a 30 day e-mail program that will introduce easy yoga poses (seriously, EASY and rest inducing), meditation techniques (getting rid of that nagging chatter), and subtle breathing techniques (your c0-workers won't even notice).

There is even a Parent's Corner of the daily e-mails to provide you with tips on how to deliver the same processes to your children to help reduce the stress from academics and competitive sports (teachers will love this as well).

Daily e-mails begin August 15, 2011 run for 30 consecutive days.

Simply stated, daily tips to lighten your emotional load.
www.Mindfulmotion-yoga.com
Sign up under workshops.

Namaste,
Terri

RYT 500 Advanced Yoga Teacher Training in Jacksonville Florida

RYT500 coming to Mindful Motion Yoga!

Yoga has added so much to my life. It has provided me with unlimited avenues for both physical and spiritual growth. I continue to seek ways to personally grow in this practice have worked the last several months with a collection of teachers who have joined together to facilitate an advanced teacher training in Jacksonville, Fl.

I am happy to announce that in 2010 Mindful Motion Yoga will be hosting world class teachers as they deliver a teacher training program at the 500hour level (RYT500)! Many of our sessions will include workshops with these special teachers offering portions open to the community. We will be offering the program under the direction of Jenny Otto - E-RYT 500 and founder of Body Balance Yoga - an RYS with Yoga Alliance.

Details can be found at www.RYT500.com Program start date of March 2010 (sessions at Mindful Motion Yoga will begin Fall 2010). Please feel welcome to email me or call with any questions!

Namaste,

Territerri@mindfulmotion-yoga.com

Yoga for Tennis

I love tennis. I love sound of a new can of balls being opened and the smell of the felt and rubber. I love the sound that comes from a perfectly hit ball. When I step onto a tennis court I am flooded with memories of my childhood in Texas. My dear friend, Janice, and I spent a great deal of our youth on the court. Laughing, planning and dreaming.

Many years later, I still love playing tennis, watching tennis and experiencing the joy of a new can of balls. This week I am bringing together my love for tennis with my passion for yoga. Monday, August 31, marks the beginning of our yoga series specifically designed for tennis players. We will address the demands tennis places on the physical body as well as addressing how to strengthen the oh-so-important mental game.

Gratitude and Yoga

I am thankful to the practitioners who have suggested this blog for our studio. This past week we introduced a "pose of the week". I chose Bhujangasana for our first week and was so proud on Friday and this morning as I witnessed beautiful, mindful bodies flowing with such grace and strength into the pose. I am proud of the teachers, proud of the students, proud of the space and so overwhelmingly grateful to be a part of it all. Next week, Tadasana.