Toward Freedom and Joy

Our work at MFB at first glance looks quite physical, but, in fact, our main work has to do with our minds. (Primarily our own!) This is true when people come and workout with us and when they join us for our weekly yoga practices. Taking care of the body ultimately brings us back to taking care of the mind. It’s impossible to have one without the other. Our mind is the biggest obstacle we have in experiencing wellness and ease; it’s also the doorway leading us to freedom and joy.

Here’s a story that happened just today that brings this principle home. Recently, after coming back from teaching a yoga class, I realized that I no longer had my wallet with me. I traced back my steps and came to the conclusion that I must have dropped it as I stepped out of my car. The pockets in the jogging pants I was wearing were not that deep. But when I returned to the spot I thought I may have dropped it, I did not find it there. I drove home with extra care not wanting to be stopped but started to feel anxious and upset at having to go through the process of cancelling credit cards and getting a new driver’s license.

But before I allowed myself to go down an anxiety rabbit hole, I stopped myself and decided that I was going to go through the process without any expectation or actual thought. Here’s what that meant: In one of the calls to a credit card company I spent over 25 minutes on hold. They were busy, so I waited–no problem. I did because I had dropped all of the stories. I saw the wait was an excellent time to practice savoring the moment, noticing the breath, and leaving judgment and expectation outside of the experience. The wait was not a struggle and took nothing from me.

After a couple of hours, I finished calling everyone and took a moment to see the whole experience as an opportunity to practice rather than a challenge and a burden. There was nothing there for me to be upset. I had a clear mind. I went through the process with ease.

I realize that I often find myself upset because I see something that is not there. I project my own past stories and superimpose on the new experience old patterns of thinking. Practicing for me means noticing when I do this and gently bringing myself back to the moment I am at and dropping as much as I can the stories, the judgment that hinders and burdens what is essentially a non meaningful event. The meaning I give the experience determines whether or not I will suffer.

For me choosing to let go of judgment means that when I begin to feel upset, instead of analyzing and figuring out the why and how of my emotions, I consciously stop myself from telling a story and acknowledge that my upset is a sign of my own misperception. Practicing with the smallest of upsets like my wallet incident this morning allows me to gain skill in working with larger ones.

Maribel and I know that the greatest miracle is the possibility we have to shift our perception and embrace wholeheartedly and without any conditions the blessedness of our creation. This is the foundation for the radical acceptance necessary for a transformation that is not merely one of weight loss and muscle gain, but one that walks us toward the freedom we too often long for but don’t experience. We look at the year ahead and know that there will be plenty of opportunities for us to practice. We invite you to join us.

In love,

Maribel and Carlos

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