Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com yoga@cherylthomas.com 415-308-3377 |
 Doubt
We all have doubts: Am I doing the right thing, marrying the right person, working the right job? Do my friends really like me or am I even worthy of friends? This is common self-talk and just a part of being human.
A certain amount of doubt can be a good thing. It's okay to question your teachers rather than blindly being led. But doubt can cause negativity, suspicion, and cynicism. It contributes to anxiety, negative self-image and leads to the inability to act or commit. Where there is doubt, you can be sure there is a heavy dose of fear.
According to Billy Graham's site, doubt originated from the mouth of satan for the purpose of sowing the seeds of doubt in the minds of Adam and Eve and make them disbelieve what God had told them. But, there are other reasons for doubt. Doubt can stem from disappointments, uncertainty, past experience of failure and old belief systems about yourself. Self-doubt can be learned behavior often imposed on us by meaningful parents."You can't be a firefighter, it's too dangerous," "You can't be a doctor, you're not smart enough, you don't focus enough." Or "There is no money in being an artist, why don't you be a lawyer instead?"
Beware. Once strong doubt gets a hold of the mind, all other anxieties and insecurities join in. All of a sudden everything, large and small, is called into question, like whether to move, give up milk, or spend the money on a new sofa.. You'll find yourself calling ridiculous things into question. It can be debilitating.
What do we do about doubt? MIndfulness, of course. Being mindful in the moment gives us the chance to "know" or to "see" how things are. Here are a few ways it helps dealing with doubt.
1. If doubt has caused you to be confused about a situation, with mindfulness at least you have the clarity to know you're confused. You can see that you "do not know." Then you can make the distinction between knowing and knowing you do not know. It seems silly, but "knowing you don't know" is knowing. Seeing this distinction can be grounding and can stop the doubt from becoming harmful.
2. You are not the doubt. Doubt is just doubt. Like with many things, it's a mental state that has arisen but that will soon subside. Label it, notice the sensations in the body, and how it invades your thoughts and feeds your stories. By the way, do not believe the stories the mind tells you, because they are just stories.
According to meditation teacher, Sharon Salzberg, "The antidote to doubt is faith, an active willingness to suspend self-judgment and to see for yourself what is true." Whenever doubt arises, recognize it as something needs to be understood or unblocked. It's a process of learning.
I have doubt, some is healthy "spur me on to do better" doubt and some is not. Are you a doubter? Right now as you sit (or stand, but not drive) are you feeling a bit of doubt rising? Is it healthy, inquisitive or cynical doubt? Is the doubt fueling negative self-talk? Do you doubt about your doubt?
Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-cynthia-thaik/self-doubt_b_2960936.html
Want to read some of my past articles?. They're archived right here. Enjoy.
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Join Carol King at Lion Heart Yoga in Kenwood for Stand Your Ground!, A Workshop Dedicated to Feet.Saturday, Oct. 24th * 1 to 3 pm
Yoga International's Fall Digital Conference. See below for free online classes, discount code for the conference. All online!!
New Owner Special at YogaOne--Get 10 classes for $100!! Crazy good deal for over 60 classes and 2 locations: Petaluma and Santa Rosa. Thanks, Deacon!
Live Music and Vinyasa Flow with the fabulous Jenn Russo at Yoga on Center in Healdsburg, Saturday, Nov 7th, 9:00- 10:30. FUN Fridays.....at Ann Austin's Friday 9:15 class at Yoga Studio Ganesha. Truly, it's Cirque de Soliel meets Olga Korbut meets Patthabi Jois. There's no better way to learn the FUN poses than from Ann!
Tony Briggs will be heading up a yoga teacher training at Westside Yoga Studio in Sebastopol starting in January. Also pranayama workshops at Westside. Lots more Tony offerings at www.tonybriggsyoga.com.
Another important opportunity to teachers and serious students. Study anatomy with Judith Lasater at Mt. Madonna. Not just any anatomy, but Experiential Anatomy, billed as the The Most Fun Anatomy Course Ever. I'll be there. More info here.
Know about Yoga in Graton? It's hopping! Find 5 classes a week ranging from Gentle to Slow Flow to All Levels, featuring me, Corina Stoicescu and Denise Hammond. Time and places at YogaInGraton.com. Restorative Yoga..........Thanks to your interest in this important practice, I'm adding a permanent Wednesday class. See below for details!!! My weekly schedule is below (scroll down or click here!). Or, you can always go to my website and click on the always up-to-date calendar to find where I might be.
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 The Adult Nap
Thanks to your interest in this important practice, I'm offering a a Restorative Yoga on Wednesdays from 5:15 to 6:45. at Yoga Studio Ganesha on the Square in Sebastopol. Pricing - Buy a 4 class pass for $54 ($13.50/class) or 8 classes for $100 or Drop-In of $16. Yoga in Graton students can use your punch card ($10 per class)!!!
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Free Online Yoga Workshops
Skip the high cost of travel when attending yoga conferences. Yoga International's Fall Digital Conference is holding the largest free online yoga event! The weekend of October 23-25, you can practice with Roger Cole and a dozen world-renowned yoga teachers from the comfort of your home, including Shiva Rea, Doug Keller, Sianna Sherman, Gary Kraftsow, Cyndi Lee, Rod Stryker, Aadil Palkhivala, Jill Miller, Seane Corn, Dianne Bondy, Elena Brower, and Pandit Rajmani Tigunait.
In addition to free online access over the weekend, you can download all workshops and practices and gain access to bonus interviews by purchasing the Conference Pass. Roger Cole has offered his code for a $10 discount at this link. Use the code COLFC15 at http://bit.ly/confpass15 also, www.Yogainternational/fall for all the info.
Thanks, Roger!
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Take 2 Hours of Pine Forest and Call me in the Morning 
Thanks Arline for this great article on the value of getting outdoors. It's from Outside. Find it here.
"These days, screen-addicted Americans are more stressed out and distracted than ever. And nope, there's no app for that. But there is a radically simple remedy: get outside. Florence Williams travels to the deep woods of Japan, where researchers are backing up the surprising theory that nature can lower your blood pressure, fight off depression, beat back stress-and even prevent cancer."
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 Bringing Kindness Into Your Life One of my go-to online sites for "research-based" information for living a thoughtful life is Greater Good out of UC Berkeley.
Here's a great article on how to bring kindness into your life. Studies have linked greater life satisfaction, stronger relationships and better mental health on increased kindness. Juliana Breines offers 3 tips on how to boost kindness in your life. Thanks, Jane, for bringing this important article to my attention. |
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Schedule of Upcoming Classes
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Class Schedule - Week of October 18, 2015
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Tuesday
5:00 - 6:00
Private, Healdsburg
Wednesday
5:15 - 6:45
Yoga Studio Ganesha, Sebastopol
Restorative Yoga
Thursday
8:45 - 9:45
Graton Community Club
All Levels
11:15- Noon Sebastopol Senior Center Chair Yoga
5:00 - 6:00
Private, Healdsburg
Saturday
All Levels Flow
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Wednesday
5:15 - 6:45
Yoga Studio Ganesha, Sebastopol
Restorative Yoga
Thursday 8:45 - 9:45
All Levels
11:15 - Noon
Seb Senior Ctr
Chair Yoga
5:00 - 6:00 Private, Healdsburg
Saturday
9:00 - 10:30
All Levels Flow
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Graton Yogis Info:
Did you know your class pass (get these from your instructor) are accepted by all yoga teachers at Yoga in Graton?
We Gratonite Yogis have a place to call our own. It's www.
yogaingraton.com. There is information about current and new yoga classes offered in Graton.
Don't live in Graton? No problem. We want you to come anyway.
Quotes I Like
You cannot be lost if you don't care where you are.
Judith Lasater
When people ask me what equipment I use, I tell them my eyes.
Ansel Adams
"Not to have what we want is stressful; to have what we do not want is stressful."
Buddha
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
Dalai Lama
"Everything will be alright in the end. And if it is not alright, it's not yet the end!" The Magnolia Hotel movie
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