Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 11, 2013

13

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

 Mountain Views News Saturday, May 11, 2013 

HOW CAN YOGA HELP 

SAMSKARAS

LIVING TRU by Lori Koop, Right Brain Business Coach 

ene
CONNECTING TO WHAT’S TRU

The tasks and worries of this world can pull us from a place 
of peace: our to-do lists are rarely completed, our fear of 
failure encourages us to take on more and more, and our 
unknown future keeps us on edge. To cope, we work harder, 
faster, in hopes of getting “on top of things.” In hopes of 
succeeding. Without meaning or a clear sense of purpose, 
life can lose its appeal and leave us feeling empty. 

The problem is not life, but how we’re choosing to live it… 
we are disconnected from our true self. Separated from our 
life’s TRU adventure. We are running our lives based on the 
instructions of the left brain, rather than the intended leader 
in the right brain, our spirit. Left brain dialogue focuses 
on fear and staying safe. While the right brain longs for 
adventure, your adventure, to materialize.

To tap into that magical resource, we must learn to connect 
and stay connected. We must listen to our spirit so it can 
tell us where to go and what to do. You see, the spirit holds our own personal map; it will guide us 
if we seek its help. We were never intended to live on autopilot. We were meant to live the life of our 
dreams. Specifically, doing the things you see in your dreams. 

So, how to connect? We start by cleaning house. Removing the clutter of thoughts in the mind so we can 
hear the still, soft voice within. The process of connecting begins here, and there are many ways to do 
it. I’ve made a list of more than 50 ways. I want to share them with you: either sign up for my mailing 
list (www.LORiKOOP.com) or download directly… www.LORiKOOP.com/downloads/50ways.pdf. 

My personal favorite (and the one I encourage all 
my clients to do) is journaling. The simple process 
of writing brings the mind to focus all its attention 
to the here and now, on only one thing. Then, the 
mind calms itself. To practice, get a piece of paper 
and begin free writing, or “brain dumping” as Julia 
Cameron of The Artist’s Way calls it. Simply listen 
to the thoughts in your head and write them down. 
Without judgment. Without censorship. Write 
exactly what you hear. Through this process, earthly 
concerns are removed and spiritual wisdom can 
come in. Keep writing! Start with 5 minutes a day, 
and make it a part of your routine. Increase your 
time when inspired.

Or, if you prefer, pick another connection method 
from the list. Something that appeals to you. 
Experiment. Find your favorites! The more time you 
spend with your spirit, the stronger the relationship 
will become. And the more you will know The Real 
You. And how to Live TRU.

. . . . . . . .

Lori Koop, The Right Brain Business Coach
Get clear about The Real You and 
what’s TRU, for you and your business. 
Schedule a complimentary coaching session at The 
Center for Wellbeing, 626-355-2443.

www.LORiKOOP.com


In yoga, we learn to identify what we call samskaras 
or the groves in our mind. Samskaras are 
the patterns that we develop from an experience 
or repeated experiences that had either positive or 
negative effects on us. These patterns can become 
beliefs and these beliefs can make decisions for us. 
That can be good or bad. Some beliefs serve us 
well, others can be knee jerk reactions and not so 
good. What gets us into trouble is when the unconscious 
belief makes a decision that is really counter 
productive to our best self. We begin making these 
samskaras when we are very little, some of them 
can come from the influence from our parents and 
then later friends. Most of the time we are completely 
unaware of these patterns. Some are small, 
like ordering macaroni and cheese a lot because 
it made you feel good when you had it as a kid. 
It might be your ‘go to’ dish, even when there are 
other options that might be better for your health.

Some are big, like racism. But whatever they are, 
we should know about them if they are going to 
make decisions for us. We need to know how they 
affect our lives, how they hold us back or help us 
out.

And yes, yoga helps us identify them. We begin 
with just the ones that happen on our mats and 
progress on to the biggies that can change our lives. 
“Wow, I didn’t even know I did that!” or “Wow, 
that’s so cool how you do that!” We always start exactly 
where we are and move along the path. And 
we do this ourselves. That’s’ what makes the process 
so powerful, so special and so empowering.

So start asking yourself: why do I believe that? 
Why do I do that? The science of yoga has some 
very cool ways to help you change the samskaras 
that need changing and use the ones that are helpful 
to you. We want to make it the best it can be.

Namasté, René