Working with Slogans

In my restorative and yin yoga classes this week, we’ve been working with slogans from the book, “Comfortable with Uncertainty”—a compilation of teachings by American Buddhist Nun Pema Chodron.

Pema Chodron describes slogans as “revers[ing] ego’s logic.” She says, “[They] are not always the sort of thing that you would want to hear, let alone find inspiring. If we work with slogans, they will become like our breath, our eyesight, our first thought. They will become like the smells we smell and the sounds we hear. We can let them permeate our whole being. That’s the point. These slogans aren’t theoretical or abstract. They are about who we are and what is happening to us. They are completely relevant to how we experience things, how we relate with whatever occurs in our lives. They are about how to relate with pain and fear and pleasure and joy, and how those things can transform us fully and completely. When we work with slogans, ordinary life becomes the path of awakening.”

Through our restorative and yin practices, in which we hold poses for longer periods of time, we can (and did) allow some of these slogans to wash over us—absorbing whatever we might have to take from them in the moment. I invite you to do the same. The slogans are listed below, along with suggestions for accompanying restorative and yin poses. If you’re unfamiliar with restorative or yin practice, I invite you to simply read through the slogans—perhaps one at a time, perhaps all at once—and sit with them for a while. And always remember to breathe, and to be gentle and compassionate toward yourself.

Slogans:

1.     All activities should be done with one intention
“Breathing in, breathing out, feeling resentful, feeling happy, being able to drop it, not being able to drop it, eating our food, brushing our teeth, walking, sitting—whatever we’re doing could be done with one intention. That intention is that we want to wake up, we want to ripen our compassion, and we want to ripen our ability to let go, we want to realize our connection with all beings. Everything in our lives has the potential to wake us up or to put us to sleep. Allowing it to awaken us is up to us.”

2.     Of the two witnesses, hold the principal one
“…you’re the only one who knows what is opening and what is closing down. You’re the only one who knows. One kind of witness is everybody else giving you his or her feedback and opinions. This is worth listening to; there’s some truth in what people say. The principal witness, however, is you. You’re the only one who knows when you’re using things to protect yourself and keep your ego together and when you’re opening and letting things fall apart, letting the world come as it is—working with it rather than struggling against it. You’re the only one who knows.”

3.     Change your attitude, but remain natural
“The fundamental change of attitude is to breathe the undesirable in and breathe the desirable out. In contrast, the attitude that is epidemic on the planet is to push it away if it’s painful and hold on to it tightly if it’s pleasant.”

4.     If you can practice even when distracted, you are well trained
“And when you can’t practice when distracted but know that you can’t, you are still training well. Never underestimate the power of compassionately recognizing what is going on.”

5.     Don’t expect applause
“…expect the unexpected; … We can begin to open our hearts to others when we have no hope of getting anything back. We just do it for its own sake.”

6.     Abandon any hope of fruition
“‘Fruition’ implies that at some future time you will feel good. … As long as you are oriented toward the future, you can never relax into what you already have or already are.”

7.     Practice the three difficulties
Notice where you’re stuck. Acknowledge the associated emotion. Drop the story you are telling yourself about it and feel the energy of the moment. Feel how you are cultivating compassion for yourself, and recognize that there are others who feel the same as you. Breathe in the emotion for them and for yourself with the wish that all will be free.

8.     Be grateful to everyone
“'Be grateful to everyone' is about making peace with the aspects of ourselves that we have rejected. Through doing that, we also make peace with people we dislike. … other people trigger the karma that we haven’t worked out. They mirror us and give us the chance to befriend all of that ancient stuff that we carry around like a backpack full of granite boulders.”

9.     Always maintain a joyful mind
“… in unblocking our hearts, we’ll find that every moment contains the free-flowing openness and warmth that characterize unlimited joy.”

Restorative Practice:

Supported bridge pose (slogan 1), waterfall (slogan 2), supported supta baddha konasana (slogan 3), legs up the wall (slogan 5), supported seated twist (slogans 6 and 8), savasana (slogan 9)

Yin Practice:

Wide-knee child’s pose (slogan 1), dragon (slogan 2), pigeon (slogan 3), dragon second side (slogan 4), pigeon second side (slogan 5), sphinx/seal (slogan 6), dragonfly with twist (slogans 7 and 8), dragonfly (slogan 9). Close with a supine twist to each side, savasana, and quiet sitting.