Money

Money, money, money. That's all I think about when I'm not focused. And since I'm writing this blog now, and it's about money, you might notice that it's - well, unfocused. It's like this: I start stressing about something - the bills, buying a house, replacing my dead computer... Then, I begin to fantasize about the lottery. Like scratching off that $30,000 three times and signing my name on the back before turning in the ticket for my new-found cash. I start thinking about how much I would want to win, and how I would allocate the winnings. It starts with $10,000, and goes all the way up to millions of dollars (aka the Mega Millions).

Here, I wanted to put an explanation of why this is so unfocused. But it's hard to do that when I'm not focused, so I'll just say that this all goes away in focused situations - like after doing Muay Thai, or yoga, jogging or meditating - or while I'm actually doing something real to earn or save money.

Anyway, back to the topic of money. Wouldn't it be nice to win the lottery? Or to go to one of those websites that claim to teach you how to become a millionaire on the internet and actually become one of those instant millionaires? I seriously think those things work if you have no morals. I mean, think about it. You go on a website and pay some amount of money to learn the "secret" to advertising on the web. The money, of course, goes to the person who got you to log on to that web site. You then learn to do the same thing they did to you - advertise for people to log on to that same website through your link. Other people log on after clicking on your advertising - wherever that advertising might be - and the process continues. There is no real product; only people stupidly logging on and repeating what you just did. You are selling a non-existent product. Sometimes I think I can make millions just by creating my own "get rich in your sleep" website. Here's what it would look like:

Hello, my name is (fill in a very American, rich-girl type name). With this website, I will become a millionaire. How, you say? By teaching you how to make millions just like me. I won't waste your time. Just fill in this form right here in order to learn my secret. What are you waiting for? I usually charge $199 for this very powerful insight, but for the next 10 minutes I am only charging $1.99. Don't miss this incredible one-time offer! (Insert paypal payment form here).

Okay... next page: Congratulations! You are on your way to becoming a millionaire just like me (leave out the part about being in debt here). Here is what you need to do:
STEPS to becoming a millionaire:
1. Create a website just like mine. Heck, you can even copy and paste.
2. Set up a paypal account and link to it on your site. Feel free to copy and paste my paypal account information if you don't have your own.
3. Get ready to enjoy your millions!

Okay... if you actually got something out of that, feel free to send me money. I'd like to pay off my debt. Or put a downpayment on a house. Or go back to school to study computational linguistics. (How sleazy would it be if I actually inserted some paypal payment information here?)

What is drishti?

Your yoga teacher will tell you that drishti is where you focus your gaze; more specifically, it is where you look when doing certain poses. Common drishti includes the tip of your nose, your belly button, your fingertips, your knees, your toes, or sometimes the ceiling (or sky, if you're outdoors). I won't go into detail now about which pose uses which drishti, but look for future posts on the topic.

I like to take drishti to another level. Let me explain.

They say that yoga really starts when you step off the mat. This is a catchy way to say that the practice of (any type of) yoga really prepares you to behave a certain way in your life. Let's say, for example, that one day you suddenly find yourself able to do a difficult pose that was previously inaccessible to you. You may find that, later on in the week (or month, or year), you feel more empowered to do something you were sure before could not be done. You run for 20 minutes continuously when before you thought you could only run for 5. You complete a project (for school or work) that you didn't think you were capable of doing. You learn to do something you used to think was too difficult for someone of your intelligence.

Perhaps another day during class you suddenly realize that you do not need to hurt yourself to progress. You stop pushing yourself into a painful pose and instead listen to your body. A year later, you notice that you have been managing your life very well, leaving yourself time to relax and yet getting a lot accomplished.

In the same way, drishti happens. During your practice, you begin to focus your gaze at certain parts of your body. You find that you have stopped looking over at your neighbor's mat, so much so that you forgot anyone else was in the room but you. That same day, week, month, year - you stop looking at what other people have, and start seeing what YOU have. Your neighbors have a beautiful green lawn? Well it's lovely to look at when you sit on your porch in the evening. Your best friend has a Nintendo Wii system that you can't find in any store? Well now HIS family has to cook YOU dinner when you come over to play. You have a new drishti, a new focus.

But drishti can be a lot more than that. It can be a focus on the future. That gaze towards your toes, bringing your body closer to your legs, may be equivalent to focus on schoolwork that gets you an A+. That change in the way you see when you go upsidedown into a headstand is a new way to solve a problem you have almost given up on. That body part you're supposed to focus on that you just can't see right now? That's your future. You can do it. You will get there. Just keep your drishti on it.