Start Where You Are

As part of my yoga teacher certification, I have been reading Start Where You Are by Pema Chodron. Subtitled "A Guide to Compassionate Living," I really wasn't sure to expect but it is such a gold mine of wisdom! I had to renew it from the library because I wasn't finished by the time it was due, and even now that I have finished it I think I could have taken a whole year to get through it, slowly underlining and meditating on these concepts. I will need to read it again in years to come as I teach and practice yoga, but for now, here are some of the thoughts I enjoyed:

• Ego is a fat person going through a small door. Be willing to drop the story line.
• Confusion and obstacles are part of the path.
• Difficult people in our lives show us our blind spots. They get through to us.
• Be familiar, open and honest. Understand humanness.
• Lean into the pain, give away the pleasure.
• "To be fearless isn't really to overcome fear, it's to come to know its nature." I am capable.
• "You should never have expectations for other people. Just be kind to them."
• "The next moment is always fresh and open. You don't have to get frozen in an identity of any kind."
• "The key to compassionate action is this: everyone needs someone to be there for them, simply to be there."
• Gloriousness and wretchedness need each other. One inspires, one softens.
• "Feeling irritated, restless, afraid, or hopeless is a reminder to listen more carefully. It's a reminder to stop talking; watch and listen." Resentment is not an obstacle, it is a reminder.
• And one of my favorite quotes on being happy: "The underlying point of all our study and practice is that the happiness we seek is here to connect with at any time. They happiness we seek is our birthright. To discover it we need to be more gentle with ourselves, more compassionate toward ourselves and the universe. The happiness we seek cannot be found through grasping, trying to hold on to things. It cannot be found through getting serious and uptight about wanting things to go in the direction that we think will bring happiness. We are always taking hold of the wrong end of the stick. The point is that the happiness we seek is already here and it will be found through relaxation and letting go rather than through struggle."

These are such deep, inspiring thoughts and I need a lot of time to think about their meaning and how they apply to me, my practice, and my role as a teacher. I consider myself a pretty compassionate person, but reading this book would convince anyone they can do much better. Everyone should try to add some more compassion to their life! You can relate your pain to that of others, you can think about how you affect the world around you, you can deal graciously with that person you have a hard time with, and you can enjoy a much fuller experience on this Earth through increased compassion! So deep. So awesome.

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