Hip Tranquil Chick: Reflection
“We need not learn Sanskrit or recite the list of yamas and niyamas . . . Rather, we can regularly ask ourselves these questions: Who am I becoming through this practice? Am i becoming the world in which I wish to live?” – Donna Farhi, author of Bringing Yoga to Life
Bonjour from an old farmhouse in the hills of Virginia. I’m here working on my second book, Tranquilista: a girl on-the-go’s guide to a mindfully extravagant life (due out December 2009) while overlooking the James river and amazing fall foliage. While multi-tasking on my living yoga column for a local paper, I came across the above quote and decided to make it the basis of this month’s muse. Taking yoga off the mat has been a strong theme over the years at my yoga studio, Tranquil Space, so I want to elaborate on what that may mean for you in your everyday, busy, Blackberry-toting lives.
Yoga, as you may know, means union. Expressing union means having alignment among the different aspects in your life. For example, can you do an impressive, solid headstand, but struggle in your management of finances or personal relationships? Do you add in the challenging variation of reaching for your back foot in half moon, but have difficulty expressing who you really are? We are interrelated, complex beings, and by asking ourselves reflective questions (at times other than the new year) we can ensure we stay on track to becoming the person we want to be. Perfect poses, perfect relationships, perfect jobs are not the goal.
The goal of yoga is to ensure our thoughts, words, and actions are contributing to the world in a positive way. Take a moment to ponder these questions:
1.Who am I becoming through this practice? (if you’re not a yogini, substitute it with something that feels right – like who am I becoming?)
2. Am I becoming the world in which I wish to live?
No judgment, just exploration. Sometimes partaking in a few moments of reflection can be as beneficial as an entire week of advanced yoga or deep meditation. Promise. Regular reflection does a body and soul good.
After answering these questions and pondering your answers, here are a few ideas on living mindfully in our daily lives: thank your teachers, choose your food mindfully (i recently found organic pop tarts – yay!), live your values, green your lifestyle, adopt an animal, volunteer, get involved in a cause, make others feel special, choose your words carefully, meditate daily, smile, read inspirational texts, express appreciation, take at least 10 deep breaths each day, when away from the studio indulge in at least one yoga pose or sequence daily, support eco-fashion, buy cruelty-free products, surround yourself with positive people, set goals, and leave a legacy.
Tranquilly yours,
Kimberly
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About our Hip Tranquil Chick, Kimberly Wilson:
Kimberly Wilson is a teacher, designer, writer, activist, and entrepreneur with a master’s in women’s studies. She is the founder of Tranquil Space Yoga in Washington, D.C. She penned Hip Tranquil Chick with hopes of inspiring fellow femmes to lead a mindfully extravagant life on and off the yoga mat. When she’s not bookstore browsing, you’ll find her designing the eco-luxe TranquiliT lifestyle clothing collection and her chunky gemstone jewelry line, sipping tea, or leading retreats globally. Her work has been featured on Martha Stewart Living Radio and in Daily Candy, Fit Yoga, and Shape. With a passion for do-gooding, Kimberly founded the Tranquil Space Foundation to assist young girls with finding their inner voice. Indulge in ongoing musings through her blog and podcast. Learn more at www.kimberlywilson.com.
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