If you watched the last video in my Map to Moksha series, you know how important it is to have a “BIG WHY”. Here’s a little man with a huge heart and a wildly audacious goal:

This man wants to rid the world of insecurity — what do you want to do?

To win a free pass to his course, leave a link to a video of your own in the comments section below…(and yes, I know it’s scary to declare it publicly…but go for it!)

Then tell all your friends to like your comment with your video link!

Yes, fragilizing is sort of a made-up word. I was chatting with a friend of mine the other night (she’s a psychotherapist), and I learned this concept from her.

The thought behind ‘fragilizing’ is that sometimes folks in the healing and transformative arts can ‘baby’ their clients/students/customers a little too much.

Instead of stating the truth in a way that might confront the limiting beliefs of their clients, the therapist allows them to hold on to limiting beliefs so as not to rock the boat or risk losing said client/student/customer.

If someone has a story that they are weak and worthless and you allow them to hold on to that story rather than challenge them to see that it’s simply not true (or that it’s an invented thought rather than any kind of truth), that could be considered fragilization. (I know, weird word.)

Let me also be clear about one thing: the flip side of this is also quite dangerous — which is pushing clients or students too far in order to create catharsis or the feeling of extreme change — this can be re-traumatizing, and while it might ‘feel’ like something big has happened, it generally sets the process of integration back quite a ways.

An example of this in a yoga setting — and this is something that I’ve experienced myself as both a participant and a witness — is when a teacher is over-zealous in demonstrating that a student can perform a pose that they haven’t yet been able to, and forces their bodies through an adjustment to achieve a fuller version of the pose.

We all know that ain’t good when it results in injury or disempowerment.

Finding that sweet spot of encouraging students to reach their fullest potential without going too far and having them get injured or turned-off by pushing their boundaries is a lifelong learning process.

And I believe most teachers could go farther — and would garner a bigger following – by inviting students to challenge themselves more and more (but I do not believe the way to do this is with vigorous and potentially injurious adjustments). In fact, for a restorative teacher, the challenge could be for students to do less…and then to do even less than they thought they were capable of doing. This isn’t about Yang energy alone and ‘doing’ – it could be about more receptivity and sensitivity.

Truth is, I haven’t actually seen too much fragilization in yoga classes.

Usually I see teachers encouraging their students to bust through their limiting beliefs and try new things, whether that’s getting up into a handstand for the first time, or actually sitting still in meditation for the first time for more than a few minutes.

And yet, after that conversation with my psychotherapist friend, I began to wonder…how many teachers ‘fragilize’ themselves?

Do you ever not do something because you don’t think you’re capable, or because you think it’s ‘not for you’, or some other invented reason that, if you were actually questioned by a loving teacher/coach/mentor, would be revealed to have no actual basis? (i.e., it’s just a changeable ‘thought’ you have about yourself and you stamp it with the seal of ‘truth’?)

I know I’ve done this to myself many, many times in the course of my life.

I’m such a passionate advocate of entrepreneurship because, like yoga, it will bring you face-to-face with all your limiting beliefs and supercharge your evolution into greater empowerment.

Because as an entrepreneur you’ve gotta act and get results that are verifiable in the world.

And that’s not always easy.

We can pretend to others that our minds are relatively unruffled, that we are being mindful, that we don’t want something we don’t have, that we being fully present in each moment.

It’s not so easy to actually show others the results of your latest business venture when they don’t match your expectations or desires.

There’s something stark and naked about business. You either get results you want or you don’t.

Every time I send an e-mail, every time I launch a new course or create a new Telesummit call, I can see the results in stark relief.

You can rationalize and hem and haw and explain away those results. But you can’t really change them from what they are.

So I understand if you don’t want to go there.

But if you’re reading this, and you’ve been wondering how the evolution of yoga might dovetail with the evolution of entrepreneurship and the development of a new economy based on love, trust, and mutual support, then perhaps you really do want to go there.

Perhaps you’ve already been there, or are there.

Then you know what I’m talking about.

If you don’t, and you’re curious, I would love to be as supportive as I can possibly be for you to take the leap and see what emerges from your divine being.

One way I am offering to do that is through this free four-video training series.

You can check it out here.

I’d love to know what you think.

And, yes, numbers and data and statistics are, in some sense, part of the ‘old-world’ reality, the reality of Newtonian linear thinking and mechanistic processes and separation.

In the way it has been presented to us, it’s not exactly a vision of reality I want to fully align with.

And yet, it’s an important aspect of this co-created Universe, especially if we seeking to create a big impact with our being-ness AND our doing-ness.

To not get right with numbers and data is similar to not getting right with money, or to not getting right with healthy manifestations of power.

It’s similar to not getting right with healthy boundary-setting, with the ability to say NO and YES with clarity and intention.

In the end, and in the beginning, and truly all along this journey, we are all one. And yet if you’re at all like me you often feel like an individual embodied soul on a wild adventure that only you could possibly comprehend.

So I say let’s take it all in — all the things that come easily, all the things that we resist — and get to the deepest truth we can, the layer that might confront or challenge us — and allow ourselves to be present in that place.

A place where it’s not about right and wrong, good and bad, but a place where it’s about presence and awareness.

If it’s all energy, how can something as conceptual as a number or data really trouble us? How can we be resistant to receiving lots of energy in the form of money? And tracking that energy in our lives?

Money and numbers are not in and of themselves beneficial or harmful.

It’s how we use them — and think about them — that causes freedom or conflict.

Just in case you think I’m saying that technology is neutral – I’m not. What I’m saying is that the impulse to create is natural — and what we create reflects our level of consciousness.

So our financial system and our money system may not be terribly healthy. Our educational system may not be aligned with our highest potential. Our healthcare system may be broken.

But this does not mean that ‘money’ itself is tarnished, or that education is a bad idea, or that healthcare is not a noble goal.

So tracking our businesses with data is simply what we bring to it.

And I believe that when the yoga community more fully understands healthy commerce, slow money, conscious spiritual entrepreneurship, and how to embody healthy models of power and collaboration…well, that’s a big part of the world I’d like to see emerge over the next several years and beyond.

You in?

Hope so.

Thanks,

Tal

And yes, I know I cut the top of my head off in the frame…oops!

If you missed the e-mail and just found this post another way, here’s the details on Racheal’s program and Brendon’s new book:

1) My friend Racheal Cook has launched Yogipreneur TV – and I’m going to be a featured speaker! So go sign up for this free series of talks — they’re awesome!

Sign up here for these free video interviews...let me know how you like ‘em…

2) There’s a new book about the “10 Human Drives That Make You Feel Alive” — it’s by Brendon Burchard, and he’s offering it you for free (you only pay S&H) — I bought a copy, and thought you might be interested….

Check it out here: http://www.thechargebook.com/

Please let me know your thoughts, comments, and questions — please leave a comment below!

Thanks,

Tal

Start with this Intro Video and then work your way on down the last video — there’s 8 videos in all. Enjoy!

P1: Grow the Pie

P2: Tell the Truth

P3: Healthy Transparency

P4: Collaborate and Mentor

P5: Don’t Hold Back

P6: Trust

P7: Give Freely

I hope you’ve enjoyed these videos — please leave a comment below and let me know what you think! All questions and comments are welcome — and I’ll read each and every comment

Here’s the deal: you need to take action and let me know before midnight PST Tuesday, May 1st .

(I’m giving you some extra time since I sent the initial e-mail out late Monday afternoon April 30th. If you didn’t see the initial e-mail: a) get on our mailing list (box above right) and b) scroll down to read on…)

Once you’ve committed your time or money to a yoga-related non-profit, send me an e-mail with the details (receipt or otherwise) to ‘yogatelesummit (at) gmail (dot) com’ BEFORE midnight PST on Tuesday May 1st and you’ll be eligible to get the 2011 Yoga Teacher Telesummit MP3 and Transcription download package — we will send you a coupon code in the next week or so. (Please give us some time to process the responses.)
AND: please leave your commitments in the comments section below — help inspire other yogis to take action and do something awesome — suggest your favorite organizations and let everyone else know what you’ve committed to do…

Now…on to some thoughts about yoga, service, and entrepreneurship. (Yes, I’m on a entrepreneurial kick these days!)

Here’s something I’d like for you to consider:

I know a lot of yogis hear the world entrepreneurship and think of profit and capitalism and business.

And yes, sometimes this is the case.

But more often than not, entrepreneurs do what they do because they are hungry to see a change in the world. They see an opportunity to make something better or a way to lessen pain in the world.

In fact, many entrepreneurs start not-for-profit or non-profit organizations (I like the term ‘social profit’ — why define ourselves by what we are not?).

Think of some of your favorite yoga organizations that do great things in the world.

All of them — in some way — are entrepreneurial, and the people that founded them have an entrepreneurial spirit. They saw an opportunity to create something new that could either alleviate an existing problem and/or bring more goodness into the world.

So here’s my gift to you today — and this is for one day only, so you gotta take action in the next few hours to qualify — I’m giving you until the end of the day (midnight) Pacific time on Tuesday, May 1! (After that, it would still be awesome for you to volunteer time and/or money to your favorite organizations, of course — I just won’t be giving away the MP3 package anymore.)

And…thank you. Again. For being part of this community.

Last year at this time I hadn’t even begun the Yoga Teacher Telesummit — it was still just an idea becoming manifest…now you are one of thousands of people that has grown the conversation of yoga around the world.

I am so grateful to you and to all the teachers, leaders, and other great beings that participated in the Telesummit.

We truly are co-creating the future of yoga.

I would also love it if you would do one small favor for me on my birthday — either today or in the weeks to come:

Simply spread the word if you found the 2011 Telesummit valuable, as the 2012 Telesummit is almost ready to roll-out and it’s gonna be awesome.

You can do this using the links below or by sending an e-mail to your network. If you’re a studio owner, ask your teachers to sign up and help spread the word. I truly believe we can elevate the quality of teaching world-wide through sharing resources and teachings as freely as possible.

Thanks again. Big virtual birthday hugs to you!

Namaste,

Tal

PS: Please let us know how you are committed to serving your favorite yoga-related non-profit in the comments section below! Thank you so very much!

I wanted to share a bit about the upcoming FREE training course I’ll be offering next week. And a really cool CONTEST for those who leave comments.

First off – about the course.

I know this course is really going to serve so many of you:

• If you really want to know how to market yourself in an authentic and powerful way.

• If you want to transition from being a part-time teacher to being a full-time teacher.

• If you are wondering how you can generate more income doing what you love while you help others.

• If you want to have a bigger impact on the world, reach more people, and create products and programs that will help your students achieve their goals.

This course is about yoga…and it’s about entrepreneurship.

For me, the two are inextricably linked.

Just like I take a broad view of yoga, and see everything in my life and everything in the world as some form of yogic practice, so, too, do I see just about everything from an entrepreneurial perspective.

Even if you have an aversion to the idea of entrepreneurship, I hope you’ll trust me with some of your time to consider the idea that you already are a yogic entrepreneur, a spiritual entrepreneur, and a conscious business owner simply by virtue of being a yoga teacher. And that by embracing this perspective you will not only radically elevate your own teaching and impact, you’ll also support others in your community to do the same.

In this way, I believe the community of yoga teachers worldwide can have an even greater positive influence in the world. (And right now I know you are already rocking it!)

Being a teacher is an amazing thing, and I’m not suggesting for a moment that you stop thinking of yourself as a teacher — or a student.

I am suggesting that you have a tremendous amount to gain by considering how an entrepreneurial perspective and mindset could transform your teaching career — and your life.

I’ll be sharing much more about this next week — and it’s not just going to be theory. I’ll also be including specific steps you can take right away to add more entrepreneurial practice and possibility to your teaching career. It’s going to be super-cool.

Now, about that contest:

Since I’m such a big fan of entrepreneurial yogis, I have a challenge and a question for you — who are your favorite yogis that are doing interesting things in the world — things that you consider to be entrepreneurial?

There’s a caveat — it can’t be anyone that I’ve written about in these e-mails or interviewed for the Telesummit. Other than that — everyone is fair game. You can even suggest yourself, of course!

I’ll check out all the comments and whoever sounds the most interesting to me (subjective, I know), will be the subject of an upcoming e-mail I send out and also — if it works out — a Telesummit interview!

And…please leave a comment below if you have a question or want to ensure I cover a specific topic in the training next week.

Thanks,

Tal

PS: If you were one of the teachers hoping for more specific teaching about anatomy, therapeutics, philosophy, or any other topics that are outside the realm of entrepreneurship — stay tuned! There’s some really good stuff on deck in many more areas as well in the coming months…

This woman is out to change the tune you hear on your birthday

1806 ‘Likes’.

$6,626 raised (it’s happening!).

If all goes according to plan, a funky new birthday song will be birthed into the world in the next few months.

(Click the video to hear this new Birthday Song — it’s pretty cool!)

And then…?

I don’t know. No one does.

Whatever happens, I’m sharing this particular project with you because it has a lot to do with what you are doing — and what you are not doing — in your yoga career and in your yoga teaching (and in other areas of your life, too).

Think about it — how many things do we simply assume are the ‘the way things are’ simply because they’ve been more or less that way for our whole lives?

I know I do this all the time — the Birthday Song is just one example. I’ve never thought that someone would come along and make an impassioned plea to change up the birthday song.

And now I think, “Of course! What a fantastic (and huge!) idea!”

To some, changing the Birthday Song might seem almost irreverent, or sacrilegious…and yet, when I think about it, do I even really like the traditional birthday song?

I think Amae is right — the traditional song can be a bit dreary and dirge-like. The only reason it’s not a downer is because everyone is beaming with so much love and joy when they sing it to you. It doesn’t exactly make me want to shake my booty and celebrate my life.

So I say to Amae: You go, girl!

Here’s another example of something that you may have thought of as ‘fixed’: the almighty sun salutation, or surya namaskar.

A lot of yogis believe that the sun salutation is some timeless and perfect form of asana sequencing that has been handed down from yogi to yogi over the past five thousand (or more?) years. It simply is the way it is and the way you learned it from your teacher is the way you need to teach it, too. Right?

Maybe.

What if I told you that the sun salutation as we know and love it today is actually the result of a intermingling of cultures and physical practices dating from the 19th century in India, and has as much to do with European gymnastics as it does with the Vedas?

Mind you, I’m not a scholar, these are simply theories I’ve read about by scholars who know way more about this topic than I do. (Search ‘origins of modern yoga postures’ to do your own research. And check out the book “Yoga Body” by Mark Singleton. Very interesting and mind-opening stuff.)

In fact, there’s a teacher I’ve met recently who believes part of the sun salutation as it is currently taught is actually contributing to a lot of injuries in practitioners world-wide. He offers an alternative based on his own study of the body and his own experience and creativity in practicing asana and martial arts.

And you know what? When I tried doing the movements of the Sun Salutation the way he teaches it, it felt really great for my body — and that’s mostly how I practice sun salutations now. Maybe his particular method is not going to resonate for every body, but it’s certainly refreshing to see someone take on a ‘sacred cow’ like the sun salute and declare the goodness of their creation. And it would be great for teachers to be able to know about alternatives that have worked to create healing and strength for other practitioners.

Are you open to creating new innovations in the way you practice asana?

If not, why not? Is it out of respect for your teachers, for your lineage? Or is it something else?

I bring this up because, in my understanding, yoga is currently evolving and transforming in unprecedented ways — and though this has always been the case, today there are more practitioners (and more teachers) with more diverse experiences and contributions to offer the practice than ever before.

It’s quite a lot like any language — it evolves enough for there to be a common basis for communication among people, and then it begins to flourish in ways that could  have never been predicted.

I was looking a 1980s-era big printed dictionary with thousands of pages (remember those?), and it contained countless words I’d never seen before. But you know what word it didn’t have?

“Internet”

That’s right, this dictionary was from the late 1980s, back before even the idea of the Internet was born.

And look at where you are today, reading this on your phone or iPad (how amazing is that?!?!) or computer — just moments after I’ve typed it out.

Wow.

How radically have our lives been shifted by this invention called the ‘internet’? And yet it’s a word that didn’t even exist in any kind of common usage 30 years ago.

So on the scale of our lifetimes, let alone cosmic time or yogic time, ‘timeless tradition’ is an illusion. Yes, there are practices that have been handed down, deep teachings that can still resonate for us as they did for more ancient yogis, but nothing is set in stone, and no practice is unchanging.

We influence yoga through our practice of it.

Yoga lives through us, as us.

So what about the world as you perceive it today would you like to see shift?

And, just as importantly (if not more importantly) – what do you take for granted as being true about yourself that it may be time to call into question? Perhaps it’s time for a friendly investigation about what is fixed and what is changing…

And then…create a big dream for yourself.

Perhaps you won’t post it on kickstarter, but just writing it down for yourself is a great first step. We’ll talk more about next steps soon.

Until then, keep dreaming big.

Love,

Tal

Now…what you’ve been waiting for…did YOU win a spot in Amy Ippoliti’s Art of the Private Yoga Lesson webinar course?

The winner is…(drum roll please)….

Ruth Sharon from Denver, CO!!

Please join me in congratulating Ruth. I know she’s going to get a lot out of the course — curious to check out Amy’s course for yourself?

Click below for more info:

The Art of the Private Yoga Lesson (an online course)

For those of you who are curious, I picked the winner with a random number generator from www.Random.org — using the total number of submissions with e-mails on the second page of the survey. Super-simple! Try it for your own contests.

Saw the new day comin’, it look just like me
Sun bursts through the clouds, my photo ID
I bring light to your day and raise your degree
The universal magnetic, you must respect it
From end to beginning: bright, true and living
Ever changing was a state of magnificent
Building the now for the promise of the infinite

–Mos Def, Love

I don’t mean to brag I don’t mean to boast
But I’m intercontinental when I eat french toast

–Beastie Boys, The Move

I’ve been thinking about love a lot lately, love of all different flavors and stripes and contours.

REGISTRATION FOR THIS DIG IS NOW CLOSED — HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US NEXT TIME!

http://www.yogateachertelesummit.com/archeological-dig-to-your-heart/