by Jillian Pransky
The following is an excerpt from Deep Listening: A Calming Practice to Heal Your Body, Calm Your Mind, and Open Your Heart, the new book by Jillian Pransky. Stay tuned for the giveaway!
By Jillian Pransky
For many, the drop of the ball has long been an alarm bell to “fix” what we don’t like about ourselves so we will feel better. We resolve to be thinner, healthier, wealthier, more ambitious, more confident, etc. However, our urge to “change” ourselves, or our conditions, is often driven by a deeper unconscious desire to avoid, cover up, or numb out what we are really feeling. For instance, let me tell you a little bit about my annual urge to cut bangs.
By Jillian Pransky
If you are human, like me, then you probably have some people in your life that the mere thought of them can instantaneously agitate you. Maybe make you feel angry or hurt. And you know that if only they would change, then you could finally have a more loving relationship with them. If only they would change.
By Jillian Pransky
I was originally drawn to yoga in the early 90s as an athlete and a typical over achiever. I played sports all my life, was a collegiate soccer player, a marathon runner, and an avid 7-day a week aerobics junkie. In my business career I held a fast paced position as a Mass Market, Marketing Director for a Major Publishing house. After work, and every day between 1986-1994, I taught 5 fitness classes a week. That was until I discovered yoga.
By Jillian Pransky
Tragedy, disaster, our deepest challenges, leave us feeling strangely present. They force us to stop, immediately. Seizing our attention. Convincing us, instantly, to open our eyes, ears, mind and eventually our hearts. Oddly, this is very similar to the type of presence we are practicing cultivating on our yoga mats and meditation cushions. To show up most fully.
By Jillian Pransky
Let’s be straight, sometimes our life circumstances just plain suck. This is often the very heart of the teachings I have received from the masters I study with. What I learn from them, what I also know to be true from my own practice and life experience, is that while my situation sucks, I don’t have to. How I respond is up to me.
