“Wherever our attention is, that is where we are. Our attention, our awareness, breathes life into  that which it rests upon. Place your attention on something, and it grows in your life. Take your attention away from something, and it fades away. Hence the power of asana, the systematic bringing of attention to our bodies,to the state of our minds, to the moment at hand. Alive in the presence of our unwavering attention, our bodies achieve their profound potential… The answer, according to the Yoga Sutras, is to tie your  attention to the solution and not the problem. Shift your focus.”

- From Meditations from the Mat, Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Yates and Katrina Kenison (p.167)

Yesterday, the blog was about the Love Languages and the way to use our actions to support a feeling of love in others. Sharing gifts, time, or service can affect the lives of others in profound ways. Everyone needs love and affection. The way for us to care for ourselves begins with the notion of ahimsa, non-harming, and continues with this notion that the love language of the self may be attention. What you bring attention to will grow in your life. So taking the time to notice what you spend your time thinking about is valuable. And once you realize what you pay attention to, see if you can shift the mind to spend time with what you hope to grow rather than what brings pain or frustration.

In this way, tending the mind becomes a habit. How we use the attention becomes a method of support for our goals and for our own self-care. We can develop a regimen of tending the intentions we actually wish to have for ourselves, rather than living at the mercy of events that arise in our lives. We come to see clearly how we wish to be toward ourselves and toward others.

To see how others have come to understand this concept:

The notion that directing the attention through the use of a game is absolutely fantastic, and consistent with yoga. Perhaps all you need to do is create your own game!

Oh – and the four areas of resilience boosts that Jane McGonigal shared in that video (physical, mental, emotional and social) are all boosted during yoga class with others.

Yoga Pose of the Day: Eagle Pose – Garudasana

Yogic Concept of the Day: Notice what I spend my time thinking on, and shift it toward the things I actually wish to cultivate in myself and in my life.