I’ve been a fan of Coby Kozlowski’s wisdom ever since I heard her talk about skillfully riding the waves of life at a Vermont yoga event. I had been waiting for her book to be released for months and once it was, I jumped right in.
First of all, if you are just seeing yoga and you don’t currently practice- don’t tune out! The title of the book is One Degree Revolution- How the Wisdom of Yoga Inspires Small Shifts that lead to Big Changes. There are many facets to yoga and it’s benefits. Yoga is for the body, but it is also for the mind. I am a student of both, but you don’t have to be to reap the benefits to the mind that yoga has to offer.
Having been a coach for over 18 years now, I have long witnessed the effects of small changes both in my own life and in the lives of my clients. Just that idea alone is beneficial- make small changes, little by little- it is always about at least moving forward. I’ve been taught that there is no such thing as standing still, only moving back or forward. This idea of one degree shifts speaks to that.
I have underlined and dogeared this book up more that any book I have read recently and there is so much goodness to share. Read the book! Because I am going to share just a few of my favorite points and passages.
*Coby quotes Swami Kripalu “The highest form of spiritual practice is self-observation without judgement.” She goes on to say “I think there is value in self-judgement, as in discernment.” And “….a more contemporary take on this quote could be, “The highest form of spiritual practice is self-observation with self-compassion.” Self-compassion is getting a lot of press right now, so you will be hearing a lot about it. The concept invites us to cut ourselves some slack, love our human-ness and forgive ourself for being human after all.
*She writes about Crimes Against Wisdom. I LOVE this one- a new twist and name for the things we do that are not good for us, or serving our goals, purposes or greatest values in any way. Like staying up too late, even though you have a plan to get up early to go after a solid morning routine. It can possibly be called self-sabotage. Many people keep committing these crimes because it is easier to just keep doing what they are doing than it is to change. I like this part because it plays right into what I want to be doing this year- radically shifting some things- mindsets, old ways I have always done things, doing new things. Your crimes are a good place to start- and no it does not HAVE to be radical- remember- one degree shifts.
*The last idea I will include in this post is that of the 95% er and this is something I see all of the time in the coaching world. It is one of the reasons I feel it is so important for anyone who wants to reach their highest potential in any area of life to have a coach or coaches. The 95 percenter goes all in up front, and maybe even for a very long time- but when it comes time to really go to the highest level, to dig in to the deepest degree- that last 5%- people back off. I see it when clients are just about to have the break through they were looking for. That is just the time that things get the most uncomfortable and most people turn around, rather than keep going through the discomfort.
About this Coby says ” Staying in the fire to the end can be difficult because it goes against or nature: we are evolutionarily hardwired to avoid pain and discomfort and to move toward pleasure and joy. This is why so many of us have the ability step up for 95 percent of the journey toward change, but start to waver before we get to the end. The last 5 percent often requires enormous effort and can take the most dedication.”
If you decide to read, please share your favorite parts here with me!
Continuing on with this Daring Adventure called 2020!
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Thank you for reading!