Day 13: Moksha Yoga, “Respect Your Temple”

Day 13 of 30 straight days of hot yoga at Moksha Los Angeles and as I entered the yoga studio today I was informed Lululemon Athletic Yoga gear has invited me to share my blog on their social media sites. So thank you for that!

Today our teacher Joe reminded us of our body temples and respecting them. Two things popped in my mind, the first was traveling around Montreal and walking into a old 1800’s cathedral and looking up at the vastness of it. I have no words and had no words then, just “AWE”.  The second was my own temple. On either side of our forehead we our have left and right temples. As we close our eyes we enter our temple.  By placing our attention in the center of the head, we rest in the one eye, the one heart, and the one breath.  Now keeping your attention in the center of your head, will drop your eye lids half way, and you may look like a Buddhist master but this is being in the center of your temple. In the center of your head, look out through your own eyes, you will notice the mind has stopped, and you are in your temple.

So I began to practice today, respecting my temple, being gentle, resting in its vastness and AWE.  Sitting in the center of it.  Since I started the 30 days, some subtle things have shifted, eating watermelon, apples, grapes, mango’s, and fruits, savoring the taste. Drinking just one cup of coffee in the morning, the rest water. And other changes in my mental and emotional life as well.  Kindness with myself, watching my language, respecting people even when they seem different, wanting to understand more, and forgiving a lot more.

I went through a tough three years with some people who were very cruel and unkind to me.  I had a lot of resentment, anger, and unkindness in my temple that I carried around like a cross. Then I realized that resentment is wanting my way to be right and them to be wrong, and they probably thought they were right and I was wrong.  Silly I know, but that is were I was, till one day, after being in my temple in silence, a question came to me, “David do you want to happy or right?” I thought, “Happy”. So I had to let go of all the places where I wanted to be right, and replace them with happy.  There is a wonderful saying, “Just because your right doesn’t mean I am wrong,” I like that, wonderful reminder.

So the final thing that came up on my mat today was, what are the rules of my temple? Well the same rules that are brought up in my practice.  BREATH, BREATH, BREATH.  So just let the breath guide the temple.  The heart is the alter, we sit at the alter, to alter our perspective.  And we allow the breath, to be the guide. How do I treat others? Well we breath the same air, and since I honor my breath, I honor your breath and you.  Simple, yes. But sometimes very challenging.

Onward to day 14…

   David Matthew Brown: Author, “The Book Of Light:The Heart Opening” order on Amazon. Heartspirational Speaker, heart trainer, blogger “Wrestling With Yourself”, and Single Dad.