lisa sochocki

5 Simple Tips for Becoming a Master of Meditation

Want to take on meditation? Here’s 5 tips to help: Sit. Learning to sit can be a challenge. Do some light stretches before sitting down and then start off with just 5 minutes of sitting–see how it feels. Remember there are many different ways to sit. Find a seat comfortable for you, in a chair, on a block, sitting on the heals, sitting on a blanket or a pillow. Make sure that you are sitting in a place you’ll be happy to sit. For me there’s a room in my house where the morning light comes in … [Read more...] about 5 Simple Tips for Becoming a Master of Meditation

Breaking the Bondage and Opening to Grace

I started yoga when I was 15, and until recently I never really understood the idea of bondage and how labels could obstruct my asana practice. At 13 I started surfing, but it wasn’t until I was 18 that I actually started taking my surfing seriously. By 18 I had labeled myself as an avid “surfer chick” and somehow with that label I gravitated towards certain thoughts about myself. For example, even though I had always been girly…I had a tomboy edge. I also decided that I had a very strong back … [Read more...] about Breaking the Bondage and Opening to Grace

Cultivate Compassion to Tame the Ego

By cultivating friendliness towards happiness and compassion towards misery, gladness towards virtue and indifference towards the wicked the mind becomes pure. ~ Yoga Sutra 1:33 Consider this: A yoga teacher gets a better time slot than you and her class is full when you arrive to teach the next class. No one asked you if you’d like the slot and you’ve been teaching at the studio longer…how do you respond? …The ego loves to feel sorry for itself, loves to make excuses, loves to compare, and … [Read more...] about Cultivate Compassion to Tame the Ego

Two Sides of the Tongue

The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 17, verse 15: Always tell the truth, Arjuna, and present it in as pleasant a way as possible. If you cannot do that, remain silent. If something absolutely needs to be said you must uphold the truth, but find a way to do it that is gentle and obliging. Do not hurt others through harsh words. Words can be more painful than physical violence, and the hurt lasts longer. Words meant to excite negativity are an act of violence; shun such words… We have two sides of our … [Read more...] about Two Sides of the Tongue