Occupy Yourself

With the occupation of America taking place, starting with Wall Street, and politics in the country as they are, our attention is turned more to the idea of "corporate greed" and our role and responsibility as citizens. While many of life's circumstances are out of our control, only we can give ourselves up to being truly victimized. Afterall, "Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional." Though we may feel powerless to influence change at the highest levels of government as our system currently stands, that does not mean that we are actually powerless. Our votes come in smaller, subtler ways, but they are no less powerful. Every day we decide who and what we support by where we send our energy.

The most contentious form of energy (and after all, it IS just another form of energy) is money. Think of every single dollar you spend as a vote. Where does it go? What are you most enthusiastically supporting by voting for time and time again? Basic living expenses sometimes require us to pay up to those "big corporations," but what necessities are actually "basic"? Do we need that cable package (sure, they may call it "basic," but really)? Do we need to turn on every light in the house at once? Does our food need to come pre-prepared, over-packaged, and de-nutritionalized or can we return to a more basic, sustainable diet at a lower cost to ourselves and the planet? Can we shop locally and support small business rather than supporting the rate-cutting big boxes? Can we think of purchases as investments in the recipients of our votes (and ourselves with quality products and experiences) and not as a scramble to hoard every penny?

Additionally, should we spend our evenings and weekends rapt in self-absorbed leisure, or should we make some investment in passing along our good fortune to those who have less by giving some small amount of what we have to those causes that stir our souls (and oh, they're out there)?

These are, none of them, criticisms. They are tools that we can all use to shift gears in our own thinking about the way in which our energy is currently expended and the ways in which we may find a desire to make a change. We are not powerless, we are empowered every day by our ability to choose. Only you can decide where your line is drawn, but every movement towards your best self is one that benefits not only you, but those around you and those around them and those around them and those around them and those around them... by the ripples of careful and conscious consumerism that you've begun.

Indeed, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead)

(Photos courtesy of Truth Control, which has been documenting the occupation of Chicago. Please share this site. It is being updated regularly!)

Portland VegFest 2011

This past weekend I found myself back in Portland for this year's VegFest. For two days a wonderful group of vegans, vegetarians, and our friends took over a section of the Portland Convention Center and the city's many veg-friendly establishments. In the past four months, I have been fortunate to have made four trips (yes, one a month) to Portland and have fallen in love with the city and it's ultra-friendly inhabitants. With no more trips planned there this year, I will definitely be missing it! However, this last trip for VegFest really packed in so many reasons why I love the city. I saw so many people who were strangers four months ago, but who I now enthusiastically call friends, I visited some of my favorite businesses, and I even had the opportunity to spend time with some of the real veg pioneers who have been making vegetarian food business a reality for over three decades!

So, it was total icing on the cake that I had been invited to speak about The Yoga of Veganism at this year's VegFest. It was a thoughtful, inspiring, and dedicated group who attended the Saturday 11am talk. I was so touched to run into the talk's attendees throughout the weekend to hear how the teachings of yoga have impacted their lives. I hope that everyone I met will continue to keep in touch in some way and that I will see you all again!

Below, you can find an edited video with some parts of the talk given at VegFest. This talk included so much that is so close to my heart. Please enjoy!

2011 Chicago Walk for Farm Animals

Yesterday I had the great fortune to participate in the 2011 Chicago Walk for Farm Animals. These nationwide walks benefit Farm Sanctuary organization, who advocates for the treatment of our forgotten brothers and sisters living lives of confinement away from our eyes. I was unable to stay for the entire event, as I had to teach the regular Saturday morning class in Oak Park, but I was able to show up early and lead a short yoga session at the beginning of the day's events. It was a ton of fun with a really enthusiastic group of participants. It's not everyone who will go out on a Saturday morning and do yoga (some for the first time ever) on a patch of wet grass in Lincoln Park!

When I arrived at the usual Saturday morning class, I had to mentally change gears. I almost couldn't figure out how to teach this group of students sitting patiently in a studio... no one was even dressed as a pig! Over the course of the short previous yoga session, that had come to look quite normal. Funny how the mind works.

This event also marked the debut of my newly-purchased Flip camera which I intend to use often now that I have it! There are so many things that I want to make videos of. The above is my first attempt at video editing. Many thanks to my friend, Mark, took much of the yoga class video. I think I learned a lot making this and have ideas about what to do differently next time.

Thank you all for coming out and participating and, most of all, for acting as voices for the voiceless! And thank you to the organizers who invited me and to the many friends who recommended me for the duty!

EZ 2B Anti

Every day we hear of people who are doing "good." They dedicate their lives to a passionate, bitter fight against this world's evils. This is a wonderful thing... or is it? It's truly a small issue of our own motivation that determines whether our paths as activists are sustainable.


When we direct our energy towards fighting against something, no matter how wrong we perceive it to be, we're draining ourselves. We're maintaining a negative focus. We see the world as "us vs. them", as full of evil, or as something that needs to be fixed. We risk becoming immersed in this negative worldview and our reaction against this perceived evil becomes the driving force behind our actions. We become overwhelmed by the mounting injustices that we struggle against and we burn out.


As hard as the negative and unjust can be to ignore, a shift in perspective can greatly improve our motivation to bring about change. Do things FOR others. Instead of fighting against the oppressor, be the voice of the oppressed. Share your gifts and see the changes that come about in the lives of those who are touched. We cannot help everyone in the ways we envision, but those that we do help are forever changed and that change affects us all. A shift in the global attitude starts with one individual. Perform your service for the good of all, without attachment or desire, and see how your flame burns brighter as a result.


Though it may not appear that way, everything is already perfect. The wheels of karma are spinning and things are playing themselves out exactly as they should be in order to balance out all deeds from the past. Your karma may or may not be to make great changes in the lives of others in the way you've imagined, but continue on your righteous path knowing that your thoughts, attitude, and actions influence change all around you in ways that are both subtle and monumental.


“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” Dalai Lama XIV

Going Beyond the Pets

So, I occasionally teach Doga classes. Yep, yoga for you and your dog. I will write more at another time about how goofy I think this concept sounds and how actually non-goofy I think it is in practice. I mean, how much time do we spend around our dogs without REALLY noticing them? How much time do we spend like that with other people for that matter? There is something to be said about taking 30 minutes and sitting down and giving your full attention to your dog. They are loving, devoted, honest friends and we should feel fortunate to have them and we should tell them as much in a language that they understand. Doga is a great option.

Somehow, people have come to know that I teach Doga and I get requests from time to time to teach at special events and fundraisers for pet rescues. The whole Doga thing started in the first place when my friends at One Tail at a Time rescue asked if I could come up with a Doga class as a fundraiser. I figured that I was already doing plenty of yoga with dogs around in my own home that I might as well learn to invite them into a few poses. It was a success and now the requests come in from all over the city.

One request last year was for an event in a city park. It was a dog-themed event with dog-themed vendors, rescues, and more. All of them in some way touting the benefits of a healthy relationship between you and your pet. While I taught at this event, to my left was a tent cooking and selling bar-b-qued animals. So here I am trying to encourage people to connect with the animal at the other end of the leash (which was one of the goals of the whole event, responsible pet care) while this tent is serving up the cooked flesh of animals that are not all that different than the dogs we're there to celebrate. Another Doga event I was invited to teach, which I turned down, was for a monthly class followed by a social bar-b-que. Connect with this animal as your trusted friend and devoted companion, but butcher another and call them dinner? Where is the disconnect, my friends?

Yoga teaches that all beings have a divine spark. A part of them that is exactly the same as any other being. Yoga practice leads us to a place where we can discover that spark in ourselves and eventually, in everyone else (including our pets, animals formerly knowns as "food", and insects). The ethical rules of yoga become easy to follow when we look at others and see ourselves or our loved ones. When I look the expressions and behaviors of a cow or a pig or a sheep, I see my beloved dogs and cats. I see animals that want and deserve compassion and dignity. They do not deserve to exist as nothing more than a commodity. As Sri Dharma says, our compassion must extend "beyond the pets." This practice is yoga.

(Photos by Alyse at Out-U-Go Chicago and my partner, Dan.)

Introduction

I am Nicole Sopko, a yoga student who is always learning and a yoga teacher who is eager to do what I can to enable others towards the goal of yoga. I have been practicing yoga since sometime in 2003 when I joined a gym and popped in to my first class. Having never been an "athlete" of any kind, I was somewhat surprised how at home I felt in the yoga postures. Over time, the passion for practice grew and I attended a 200 hour teacher training with the intention of learning as much as I could about yoga. What I learned, was that despite being formerly terrified of speaking in front of groups of people, this yoga stuff was just too good to keep to myself! So, I began teaching at the studio where I did my training as well as a few gyms. After my training, I continued to explore the world of yoga taking workshops with respected teachers and reading many many books on the subject in an effort to figure out the deeper part of the practice that I could sense, but could not yet access.

At some point shortly after becoming a "yoga teacher," I ventured to New York City to check out a real teacher there by the name of Dharma Mittra. I didn't know at the time how it would change my life, but that first class was mind blowing. Dharma was speaking what appeared to me to be the clear truth, backed up by his many years of practice. I felt transformed. I would spend years traveling to NY as I was able in order to study with Dharma. I would get on the train/plane/automobile with a mind full of questions, but as soon as I was seated in front of the teacher, all of the questions disappeared. I was always at perfect peace in Dharma's presence.

Some time later, I enrolled in and attended Dharma's 500 hour teacher training, which was the best choice I could have made, especially at that time in my life. Through Dharma's generous teachings, I have learned much about yoga and most importantly, have learned the critical importance of living yoga as daily life. There should be no interruption between the attitude on the mat and off. Yoga gives us the ability to sit quietly and find opportunity for deep reflection, which can answer all of our questions and quell our doubts, giving way to a more peaceful mind and a more compassionate existence.

This blog is a place to attempt to share experiences that touch me and yogic teachings as I understand them. I humbly offer the fruits of this labor to you, whoever you are, and to the divine spark inside of all of us who I hope will guide this project as it progresses.

Doga Fundraiser for One Tail at a Time

You may know that I share my life with rescued dogs and cats. Pets are such an important part of our families and our lives and it's really necessary to take the opportunity to bond with our furry best friends. Even better that we could donate the proceeds from this class to One Tail at a Time rescue!

Thanks so much to Yoga Tree for donating the space to hold class, to the ladies from Fido To Go (Chicago's Premiere Gormutt dog food truck) for stopping by with treats afterwards, and to Heather at One Tail at a Time for bringing it all together! Love to all of you!