Avert The Conduit Of Evil For Easy Inspiration

World's Oldest Yoga Teacher, Master Tao Porchon-Lynch

I discovered Tao Porchon-Lynch through a blog article written by Robert Sturman. He'd photographed her over the previous couple of years and wanted to "show her off"on her 95th birthday. And show her off, he did.

Tao radiates a contagious energy and love of life—even through a photograph—that inspires people to get where she is. If you aren't inspired, there are at least 275 comments to back me up. So why don't we see more people or imagery that inspire us in everyday life? Why aren’t our days filled with little land mines that keep exploding us forward?

My gut reaction is to blame media—television, movies, magazines, advertising—as the conduit of evil imagery keeping us muddled in discontent. I might hold fast to this stance if there weren’t so many ways to filter what we intake. We can watch the show or not. We can go into the movie theater or not. The magazine does not jump into our hands or fall open under our noses. TIVO, SPAM filters, unsubscribe, adjust your settings.

So, wait...what just happened here?

Inspiration is not something I feel automatically all day, every day. I want to. Since there is a desire for inspiration, there must be a lack of inspiration. My ego does not take responsibility for any type of lack. There is always some thing or some one else to blame. To deflect responsibility, I took the focus off of myself and hid in an "us vs them" scenario—people seeking inspiration vs media.

Turning the focus outside of the self is a common response the ego uses to safely assume a victim’s role. Safety in numbers and ambiguity of authority. “We” are mistreated, but there is no approachable source, therefore rendering "us" helpless victims.

Let’s look at what happens when I keep my stream of consciousness in the first person.

Eh-hem...So why don’t I see more people or imagery that inspire me in everyday life?

The answer becomes obvious and simple. Because I don't look for it.

If pictures of awesome yogis inspire me, all I need to do is Google “awesome yogis.” I can read books that inspire me. Paying attention to nature inspires me. If I don’t have a computer, book or nature handy, I can just think about Tao Porchon-Lynch and be inspired.

It really is just that easy.

Now...some awesome yogis, inverted!

Headstand variation.

Untitled

Noelle Beaugureau

Tripod Headstand Variation

One Legged Inverted Staff Pose