Discipline Creates Freedom!
I recently watched an interview with Venus Williams, the famous tennis star.
She said, “I honestly believe discipline is freedom. When you have discipline, you get what you want.
When you do not have discipline, you do not get any of what you want.
When you’re disciplined, you start to live your dream, to do the things you love, and then you start to LOVE THE DISCIPLINE.
When you don’t have discipline, the anxiety starts to set in because you know you’re not paying the price.
When you don’t pay the price, you get nothing.
So you must pay the price of discipline, and then the world is open to you.”
AMEN - Thank you, Venus Williams!
Early in my yoga teaching career, it took me years of beating myself up and feeling anxious for not having a daily self-practice of yoga and meditation.
I knew that as a yoga teacher, this was required to be a serious teacher.
Often, our suffering (the mud) gets us to our discipline, which creates freedom and happiness (the lotus).
My back pain drove me to establish a daily discipline to meditate and do yoga.
A chiropractor-healer wrote on my chart, “She needs to heal herself.” That’s when I knew my pain was something I needed to take on myself.
And that pain was the catalyst for creating the best medicinal healing discipline that benefited me in more ways than I could have imagined.
Now, I love my discipline and do it everywhere I go. Even when traveling, I bring my travel yoga mat. Meditation and even a short yoga practice ground me and clear the turbidity in my mind and body.
A new student asked my teacher, “When will I have meditated enough so I don’t need to anymore?” My teacher responded, “Meditation is like a cleansing shower to the mind and nervous system. So when you no longer have to wash your body, you’ll no longer have to cleanse your mind”.
The surprising benefit of meditation is how much more compassionate I feel. I am less judgmental and more understanding of the oneness we all are connected by.
Meditation established a spiritual home for me, which I longed for.
Meditation provides me with clear guidance, as it enhances intuition. I now trust my intuitive hits, as they can be like a flash of insight, and they have always directed me with clarity and love.
The awesome benefit of a daily discipline of yoga is that it releases the issues in our tissues that, often, we don’t even know we’re carrying until we release them and feel the freedom of a lighter, flexible, stronger, more mobile body that’s easy to be in.
One of the many benefits of the 200-hour yoga teacher training is the daily discipline established. Meditations and yoga sequences are taught and provided to practice daily in between the training weekends.
It’s said it takes 21-66 days to create a habit of discipline, 40 days being the spiritual golden number to go by.
The teacher training is five months, 150 days, to get on the horse of discipline and ride, fall off, get back on, and keep going. By the end, you won’t want to stop!
Discipline feels so good once it’s established. It creates trust in oneself to show up and strive to become the best version of ourselves. It makes us accountable and strengthens our integrity, which results in unshakable confidence.
When my anxiety shows up and I’m struggling with personal issues, I know that the recipe of journaling, meditating, and yoga clears the anxiety and provides me with the guidance I need to move forward.
Matthew Kelly describes discipline in his book Perfectly Yourself:
“You cannot be happy without discipline.
If you want to measure the level of happiness in your life, measure your level of discipline.
You will never have more happiness than you have discipline. The two are directly linked to each other.
If you want to increase the level of fulfillment and happiness in a certain area of your life, increase your level of discipline.
On the other hand, if you find that you are too happy too much of the time, you may want to think about decreasing discipline in your life. Discipline and happiness are directly linked.”
If you want to start a daily discipline that will level you up to the best version of yourself and improve your relationships, join the upcoming 200-hour Yoga Teacher training starting September 16.
Your future SELF will thank you! You’ll get in great shape physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Your body, mind, and spirit will be rewarded!
From my heart to yours
Namaste,
Maggie
Ask about our 200-hour Yoga
Teacher Training!
”This has been such a widening experience for me.
The teachings were challenging, and the self-reflection was deepening.
The questions and journal writing helped me to reflect deeply, and the ongoing nature of it was cleansing and grounding.
I found both Maggie and Michael very understanding and loving, yet disciplined with firmness.
I found my way into a daily practice and personal discipline that I didn't think was possible with my busy life.
Maggie and Michael are so amazing and held us on our path of discovery so well.
I will miss this group and look forward to future learning."