wake up! - think right no cesa/cesa... · 2008. 8. 14. · now. but if you’re ready to wake up...

Wake Up! A simple, yoga-inspired approach to awakening

to your possibilities

By Diane Cesa, author of www.ItsAllAboutYoga.com

www.ItsAllAboutYoga.com. 2

© Diane Cesa 2008 This book is copyrighted material. All rights reserved. It is against the law to make and distribute copies of this material without getting specific written permission in advance from Diane Cesa. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher. By accepting this ebook, the participant understands that it is not intended to be used as a sole source of mental health care. The author assumes no responsibility for contradictory interpretation of the subject matter herein. Acceptance of this ebook or usage of the content within implies full acknowledgment of all liabilities as expressly disclaimed. By accepting this ebook the user understands that by participating in yoga practice you are assuming a known risk. Receiving instruction and participation is at your own discretion and you are not required to attempt any posture, acu-pressure, or breathwork or healing modality. A physician consultation is recommended prior to beginning any new type of physical exercise, and further: agree to hold the instructor, Diane Cesa, harmless for any injury resulting from the practices described here or your own practice.


“Each today, well-lived, makes yesterday a dream of happiness and each tomorrow a vision of hope. Look, therefore, to this one day, for it and it alone is life.”

-- Sanskrit poem


“We're so engaged in doing things to achieve purposes of outer value that we forget that the inner value, the rapture that is associated with being alive, is what it's all about.” -- Joseph Campbell

An Introduction to Awakening

This is an itty bitty (so small, in fact, that I’m not including a contents page) book about waking up. You may think because you are reading this book right now that you are awake. But are you? Are you awake to this very moment, right here, right now?

Could it be that you are on autopilot, moving through your hours, days, weeks, years doing what “should” be done or what “needs” to be done. Perhaps you’re living the life your parents wanted for you or working at a job that someone else thought fit your skills. Or maybe you’re living a life you don’t even recognize when you take a long, hard look at it. You might not even realize this because of the static of life that’s distracting you and preventing you from looking inside and asking – Am I choosing to be awake?

As a yoga therapist I often work with clients with a myriad of complaints:

n Stressed out n Dull and listless n Exhausted n Low energy and lethargic n Forgetful n Depressed n Lonely n Fearful n Unfulfilled n Anxious n Inability to focus n Always rushing, feeling “I never have enough time” n Overindulge in food, sex, shopping, TV viewing, Internet usage

Sound familiar?

I can relate. I had a big case of “is that all there is?” some years ago. Although my life looked pretty darned great on the outside – I was doing all of the things I thought I “had” to do and I had all of the things that I thought I “needed” to have to be happy – something was missing (and it was something BIG – I was missing). It was like I had set about to make a cake but was missing some vital ingredient. It was obvious that the cake tasted awful, but I didn’t know what ingredient I needed to add. Basically, I was stuck and I had no clue as how to get unstuck.

Believe it or not, that was a good thing. Before this time of discontent, I was pushing those feelings of unhappiness, disillusionment, and emptiness down. I refused to acknowledge that something was wrong and I always blamed it on something – or


someone – else. Everything would get better once I made more money, got another job, dated a different man, etc. I forged on like a brave little soldier ignoring the feelings inside of me.

I got the money, the job, the man, and many other things I wanted, yet the feelings of discontent remained. After shoring up the courage to look inside rather than turn to outside distractions, I realized what had happened. I had fallen asleep. Somewhere along the line I chose to disconnect from myself and do what I thought I “should” be doing. It was like I was playing a role and forgot that the character I was playing was fictional and not really me. I had never realized before that moment that being awake required commitment. Until I made that commitment, my life was going to continue on in a dull, uninspiring fashion. Although I had no clue as to what being committed to being awake entailed, I knew that I had to do it. I was tired of being asleep.

Gradually I learned how to rouse myself from my slumber. For me, yoga was a big part of my awakening. I began to question choices I had made, the type of life I was living, my work, my relationships – just about everything. Rather than allow myself to get caught up in the current of my life, I stopped floating, planted my feet on the ground and took a good look around. I stopped looking at what others were doing, what society dictates, what others wanted me to do – and I started thinking about what I wanted.

My life completely transformed and now I’m living the life of my choosing. I’m far from perfect, of course, but I’m happier now than I’ve ever been. I still get lured by outside influences, but now I am able to quickly remind myself to go inside of myself for the answers. I feel like the bear that has come out of hibernation after a veeeery long winter’s nap. In short, I’m committed to being awake. This book will give you a few simple tools to wake you up to the present moment and your life. You’ve been bombarded with self- improvement messages your entire life. Just take a look at the self- improvement section of your local bookstore – it’s jam-packed. If you didn’t know better, you might think that you aren’t perfect just as you are. Despite what society and the media are trying to tell you – you are perfect just as you are! You just don’t realize it because you’re not awake. The exercises in this book will help you a great deal. While the exercises may be simple, you do have to put in some effort. You actually have to do them. One exercise in particular you need to do multiple times a day. Are you already thinking you don’t have time? If so, I have one question for you – how much will it cost you if you don’t wake up? Think of the toll it ’s taking to drift through life often feeling stressed and unfulfilled. If you’re okay with limiting yourself to this kind of life, feel free to chuck this book right now. But if you’re ready to wake up and experience life, joy, and fulfillment, keep reading!

“When you open your eyes to the world…you’re on your own for the first time.” --David Whyte


Make a Commitment Now that we’ve established that you want to live a joyful, passionate, glorious, pleasure-filled life, it’s time to commit. Please repeat these three phrases out loud (I know, I know – you feel silly. Do it anyway. Please.):

1. I am committed to being awake.

2. I am committed to waking up and discovering the limitless possibilities that lie before me.

3. I am committed to being in the present moment.

There – that wasn’t so bad, now was it? Now, I’d like you get out a pen or a pencil and a piece of paper. Write each of the above phrases with your dominant hand. Now write each of the above phrases with your non-dominant hand. If you’re feeling resistant to doing this and you’re tempted to flip ahead and get to the exercises – STOP! Take the very few minutes that it takes to write out those phrases above. Great! Now complete the form below and sign and date. I _______________________________________________________

commit to being awake and staying awake. I commit to being present in

each moment and living the kind of life that is mine by divine right – a life

of bliss.

______________________________ __________________

Signature Date

Congratulations! You’ve taken a big step on the path of awakening. Do you feel yourself starting to stir? Perhaps you’re feeling happier or lighter or filled with energy – that means that you’re on your way…

"The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper." -- Eden Phillpotts


"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." -- Lao Tzu

Priming the Pump Here’s a little something to get you started by laying the foundation. Don’t worry – you don’t have to do a lot of work here. I just want you to simply ponder the wisdom below. I’d also like you to pick up that pen/pencil and paper again and take a crack at answering the questions below. Believe me, you’ll be glad you did (the truth is, you should be asking yourself these questions on a regular basis as a way to take inventory, so to speak, of your life.) Coming Alive Years after I woke up and started living I came across the work of David Whyte. His words resonated with me in every way. Here’s an excerpt from one of his poems, Sweet Darkness:”

You must learn one thing. The world was made to be free in. Give up all the other worlds except the one to which you belong.

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet confinement of your aloneness to learn that anything that does not bring you alive is too small for you.

When I first read that last line I found myself wondering what to do if you find that something is too small for you. What do we do when the things we think will don’t bring us alive? Whyte himself offered some insight in one of his exceptional CDs when he poses the question – How did I make it too small for me? Now I pose this question – and a few others – to you:

• Have you made your life too small? • What are you really tired of in your life? • How have you made it too small?

“I do not accept any absolute formulas for living. No preconceived code can see ahead to everything that can happen in a man’s life. As we live, we grow and our beliefs change. They must change. So I think we should live with this constant discovery. We should be open to this adventure in heightened awareness of living. We should stake our whole existence on our willingness to explore and experience.” -- Martin Buber


Being Present – What the Heck Does That Mean and How Do I Get There? Live in the present. Be here now. The present moment is our seat of power. I’m sure you’ve heard words to this affect. Presence is a word used a lot in the yoga world and often folks hear that word and think, “oh, here we go with all of that woo woo stuff again.” Presence is just a fancy term for being awake. In order to explain what being awake is, I’ll give you some examples of what not being awake is:

• You’re constantly thinking about what happened in the past (not just the long ago, far away past but perhaps what happened a few hours – or minutes – ago)

• You’re often worrying about the future • You’re mentally ticking off things on your to-do list • You’re doing a few tasks at the same time (In terms of being present or awake,

multi- tasking is a very dirty word. My advice on multi-tasking – don’t do it!) • You’re listening to the constant thoughts in your head (Have you ever stopped to

listen to what they’re saying? Are the messages predominantly negative ones?) • You feel overwhelmed and mentally dull • You have trouble remembering short-term things (one of the biggies is where you

put your car keys) • You often have a vague feeling that can best be described as “there must be more

to life than this” and you’re suffering from chronic discontent • You turn to outside things for fulfillment yet whatever you do is never enough

and you still feel empty inside I could go on and on here, but I think you get the idea. So… Are you awake or asleep at the wheel? If you’re asleep, don’t panic – help is on the way. In order to wake you up, I’m going to offer up some wisdom from thousands of years ago. The answer in a word – yoga.

You do not have to be good You do not have to walk around on your knees for 100 miles through the desert repenting You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves --Mary Oliver


Yoga Defined When I say the word “yoga” what do you think of? Are you imagining ultra- flexible people with their legs wrapped around their head? Or perhaps you’re getting a vision of designer label-wearing yogis with perfect bodies? How about people sitting cross- legged chanting funny sounds? Or maybe you’ve got a picture in your head of Madonna and her ripped up and cut body complete with bulging biceps? Of course there’s the swami/guru type in long, flowing robes? Yoga is perceived in a multitude of ways today. The yoga that you find in a gym or a yoga studio is greatly different from what was practiced thousands of years ago in India. We’ve lost sight of that in our desire to get the perfect body, become “enlightened,” be cool by participating in something Eastern and different, be Gumby. Unless you delve deep into the study of yoga do you realize the true meaning of yoga and full spectrum of benefits a regular yoga practice has to offer.

What is Yoga Really About?

Essentially, yoga is about being awake. If you study the essential text on yoga – the Yoga Sutras – yoga is simply defined as concentration and clarity (knowing yourself, being free of misperception). The Sutras clearly state what happens when we’re not in a state of yoga – the mind projects. That means that you’re not in the present but you’re stuck in the past or anticipating the future. Rather than seeing what’s right in front of you and the truth, you’re seeing your perception of the situation. Conversely, the Sutras state that the benefit of practicing yoga is that we direct the mind in a chosen direction and maintain it for a period of time. Hmmm…that sounds suspiciously like being awake to me.

When practiced holistically – as it was meant to – yoga goes from being a form of exercise to something so much more. When you drop your pre-conceived notions about what yoga is and you stop looking at our society’s depiction of yoga, you’ll find that yoga is about:

• Refining relationships (to our body, our mind, our emotions, etc.) in order to develop who we are

• Working your entire system, not just a single body part • Moving meditation that engages your mind, your breath, and your body

To put it simply, yoga is so much more than what you see in a typical yoga class!

I used the word holistic earlier and that might have set off your buzz word alarm. We hear that word quite often in the world of alternative medicine/healthcare and in New Age circles. Despite what you may think of that term, it describes the practice of yoga. Here’s the simple truth – yoga involves the body, breath, and the mind.


To be completely honest, it involves a lot more as well. There’s an ancient Indian holistic model that sees the body, the breath, the intellect, personality and emotions as integrated. That means that when you change one the others are affected as well. Think about that for a minute…If you change your breath, it’ll affect your personality. If you change your posture, your emotions will shift.

This is what it means to awaken – you have control over how you are in the world (and you’re in the world rather than up in your head). You’re not letting what’s happening on the outside rule your life. You’re in the driver’s seat. Rather than reacting, you’re acting. Make sense?

For the purpose of this book, I’m going to keep things very basic. There’s more to yoga than what I’m teaching you in this book, but this is a quick and easy start for someone who wants to awaken (someone like you!). I won’ t be using fancy yoga terms or Sanskrit words or highly technical descriptions. This is a simple guide to wake up using ancient yoga techniques.

Our main areas of focus are:

1. Breathing 2. Engaging body, breath, and mind

Sounds easy, right? Yes! It’s so easy that you don’t have to be a yogi or a guru to do it (you don’t have to stand on your head or wrap your legs around your head either). Here we go…


Breathing: 2 Techniques

If you take nothing away from this book, I want you to understand this – breathing is critical to being awake. Our breath anchors us in the present moment. Breathing is a practice of serenity – it creates a serene mind. And we can move our consciousness to higher levels through the practice of serenity.

How simple is that? The breath is everything. That’s all there is to it.

I’m not going to give you a few simple breathing techniques that you can do every day, many times a day. These techniques will calm your mind, energize you, and wake you up to the present moment. You’ll find – as I have – that the simple techniques are the most profound.

Technique #1: Sighing Breath or Falling Out Breath

This technique is easy to do and will make you feel wonderful. Simply breathe in through the nose and with a relaxed face and jaw allow your mouth to open and exhale the breath out the mouth with a sigh. You can keep things quiet or make it loud (I recommend being loud) with a big AAAAHHHHHH as you breath out. Repeat this breath 5-10 times and notice how you feel. That’s it. Simple, right? Yes, it’s simple but it’s incredibly powerful. Whenever you’re feeling stressed or your mind is racing or you’re anxious or depressed, turn to this breath. I take breathing breaks quite often throughout my day. These breaks keep me awake, focused, productive, energized, happy…I could keep going on but I think you get the idea. Use this breath often! Technique #2: The HA Breath With the tongue on the roof of the mouth, inhale for seven counts (DO NOT strain here. Our goal is not to create tension, so if you’re struggling, change the count to 4 or 5.) Now hold the breath for 7 counts (Same goes as before – don’t strain! Just be sure that the hold count is the same as it was for the inhale count – your goal is to do an even ratio of inhale, hold, exhale, hold.). Open the mouth and exhale making the sound HA as the breath leaves your body. Close the mouth and hold the breath out for 7 counts. This is considered one round. Do this exercise for 7 rounds.

"With every breath, the possibility of a new aspect of self arises." -- Wayne Muller


You may be thinking, “That’s it? Those are the two big techniques?!?!” Remember – it’s the simple things that have the most powerful impact. That’s definitely true here. Just keep doing these techniques and over time, you’ll notice a huge difference.


Let’s Get Physical (and Mental and Emotional) Now that you’ve got some breathing techniques under your belt, it’s time for a little yoga – yoga the holistic way, not gym class yoga. We’ve already talked about what that means. In case it’s slipped your mind, the yoga practice I’m going to outline here engages your body, your breath, and your mind. If you’re thinking that you need to be sweating and burning calories and need a work-out, I invite you to drop those ideas. You’re going to need to open you mind a bit here and trust that in this case, less is more. When I work with clients and give them personal yoga practices, I draw stick figures to denote the moves. That’s what I’m going to do here. I don’t like to demonstrate the poses or use pictures including real people because that leads to emulation. I don’t want you to emulate someone else – I want you to feel these poses in your own body. There’s no perfect pose – there’s only the pose that your body can manage. First, I’m going to break down each move and then I’m going to include an all- in-one sheet that simply has the postures on it. Remember – you’re not trying for perfection in regards to the postures but you’re coordinating movement to breath and you’re moving in a way that’s comfortable for you body. This simple practice can be done by virtually anyone and can be modified if anything feels like too much of a strain for you. I want you to soften what needs to soften for your safety. That means bend your knees if you need to, don’t raise your arms up higher than is comfortable for you, and skip whatever moves don’t feel good to you. The motto here is NOT “no pain, no gain.” Rather, it’s “no pain, no pain,” so if something hurts, STOP!


Awakening Yoga Practice 1. Stand with your feet about hip-width distance apart. On an inhale raise your arms up in front of you and on the exhale lower the arms back down to your sides. Move with the rhythm of your breath. On the next inhale raise your arms out to the side and up and on the exhale lower them back down to your sides. Repeat 6 times (which comes out to three times each way).

Remember – The movement coordinates with the breath so your arms should be straight up at the end of your inhale and back at your sides at the end of your exhale. You’re also engaging your mind, so you need to be keeping count of how many times you’ve done a posture. 2. Stand with your feet about hip-width distance apart. On the inhale raise your arms up in front of you and on the exhale bend at the waist bringing your head and hands toward the floor (if it’s comfortable, rest your hands on the floor). On an inhale come back up to standing with arms raised and on an exhale bring your arms back down to your sides. Repeat 6 times.

Remember – Coordinate your breath with your movements. Bend your knees is necessary and don’t bring your hands all the way down to the floor if it’s uncomfortable. If it’s too painful to bring your hands down to the floor or your shins, then brace them on your thighs and only come halfway down. 3. Stand with your feet about hip-width distance apart. On an inhale raise our arms out to the sides up to shoulder height (you’ll look like the letter T). On the exhale bring your right hand down to your left foot (twist at the waist). On an inhale, come back up to the T position. On the exhale bring your left hand down to your right foot. Do this 3 times on each side.


4. Come to a comfortable seated position (on the floor, in a chair, on the floor with a blanket propped under your hips, on the floor on a meditation cushion – whatever works for you) and breathe freely. Sit and rest while noticing your breath (not trying to control it).

5. Come to a kneeling position (again, use props to make this comfortable for you). In an inhale straighten your legs (so you’re standing on your knees) and raise your arms up overhead. On an inhale bring your hands to the ground bending at the elbows and resting your forehead can rest on the ground. On an inhale come up onto all fours, pushing your chest out in front of you (your back will naturally arch) and raising your head (be gentle here – don’t crunch your neck by overstretching it). Your head comes up at the end of the inhale. On an exhale come back to the crouching position. On an inhale, come back up to a straight leg with arms overhead position and exhale back to a kneeling position.

Remember – Your breath sets the pace of the movement. There’s no “too fast” or “too slow.” It’s simply moving to the rhythm of your breath. 6. Lie down on your back with your feet flat on the floor, knees bent. Keeping your arms resting down by your sides, inhale your hips to the sky. On the exhale bring your body down. Repeat 2 more times. Now put your arms in a T position on the floor (arms should rest on the floor a little lower than shoulder height) and on an inhale raise your hips to the sky. On the exhale bring your body back down to the floor. Repeat 2 more times. Now put your arms overhead on the floor (your arms are over your head but resting on the floor – you’re not holding them up) and raise your hips on an inhale. On the exhale, bring your body back down to the floor. Rest with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor.

7. Still lying on your back, bring your feet up off the floor and rest your hands on your knees. On an exhale bring your knees towards your chest (don’t pull with your hands – use your abdominals) and on an inhale let your knees go away from your body. Repeat 5 more times.


8. Come to a crouch – essentially, you’re in a kneeling position with your forehead resting on the floor and your arms out on the ground in front of you. Inha le through puckered lips (make an “O” with your lips) up to all fours raising your head by the end of the inhale (allow your back to arch here). Exhale through the nose back down to the crouching position. Repeat 5 more times.

9. Come to a comfortable seated position. Inhale long and slow through puckered lips, raising your head slightly and raising your hands to cover your eyes. Exhale through the nose and bring your hands down to rest on your legs (your hands should touch your legs as your exhale ends). Repeat another 11 times for a total of 12 breaths altogether.

Once you’re familiar with each posture, you can use the sheet on the next page as a guide.


Your Journey Has Just Begun What have we learned thus far? Well, you now know what it’s like to be asleep and how to wake yourself up. You have two breathing techniques and one brief yoga practice that will get you focused, sharpen your mind, increase your energy, and best of all – get you in the present moment. As you can see, it’s all very simple. Simple but not easy – you still need to commit to doing the breathing and the practice. I hope that you have enjoyed this short ebook. Remember, you’re now on the Living Yoga list so you’ll be getting all sorts of free goodies, recommendations, and helpful information to help you live your happiest, healthiest life and live your yoga (and don’t’ worry – we understand the trials and tribulations of inbox clutter and we won’t overload you). If you have any questions about this ebook, the Living Yoga List or anything else, please contact me at: [email protected] Boundless joy and abundance,

Diane Cesa

wake up! - think right no cesa/cesa... · 2008. 8. 14. · now. but if you’re ready to wake up...

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