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Jason Mraz's Blog



  • Lean into the discomfort




    Today I am grateful for Yoga. Not only does it make me feel good, it challenges me to work hard, asking that I maintain a calm smile on my handsome mug while enduring gravity's pull and/or the taunting of the mind's resistance. And so is life; a journey that requests we wear a smile while giving generously our time and talents.





    Yoga may look all soft and bendy but it is actually ass-kickingly solid, especially in Virginia in June where all Yoga is Hot Yoga if you're practicing outside.





    Since returning to my practice I've re-discovered that I am more fulfilled and complete as I glide from task to task - as opposed to being in a hurry and doing a half-ass job and/or giving a half-hearted performance. I've written many songs that didn't get the best attention due to my thinking there was somewhere else to be (and/or perhaps the project had become boring) But the fact is, there never was a 'somewhere else' to get – only a place where I wouldn't have to work as hard. And as for boring, that too is just an excuse. One can easily change ones mind and try a different approach if one chooses. Yoga invites me to stick with it for a few more breaths before bailing out completely.





    Don't ask me why I wouldn't want to work hard. I guess I'm a natural born snooze-button-pusher who lives to dream. Ease is what lured me to the music industry originally, as doing something you love means to never work a day in your life. 





    Yet, for reasons I'm currently on a quest to uncover, the moment something feels uncomfortable, I've had a habit of calling it quits. I've lost touch with many friends and lovers because of this. Well, FYI...





    ...Discomfort doesn't mean danger!





    Thanks to Yoga, I've learned I CAN tolerate discomfort and that by doing so I actually get stronger. In my community it's common to hear someone say "lean into the discomfort." I always knew that it meant go deeper without resistance, but it wasn't until I applied it to my Yoga practice that it began to make sense off-the-mat. I find myself saying "lunge into the discomfort" whenever I'm confronted by lengthy warrior vinyasas.





    Another groovy thing about Yoga (and all soul work in general) that I'll never be able to explain, is the synchronicity that suddenly appears in and around your life. My guess is that by working with love, trust and patience on the mind, body and soul, you become aligned in a way that projects your inner peace outwardly through your personal energy field or aura, inviting that which you truly want to arrive at the doorstep of your eyes and over the threshold of your hands where you'll get to welcome it back into your heart. I get this is how prayer and/or meditation work. It's "the secret" after all; the law of attraction. You don't have to ask, beg or borrow, you just simply get to be LOVE and voila! You GET love. So - Let your love light shine and allow all that you want to fly like beautiful moths to your flame.





    Special thanks to the good people at Manduka for the mat, towel, and tote bag. I am most grateful for the serendipitous timing of their arrival and have already put them to good, hot, sweaty use.
  • From the Pages of Ftsblog.net









    This last year of my life has been incredible; the kind of life that envelops you all of a sudden and echoes "be careful what you wish for." Having come off of a two year world tour I wanted to remain in the flow of public service so at the dawn of 2010 I decided to flex my activist muscles and see what else was possible in the world. One of the first places I went was Free The Slaves.





    The Freedom Awards of 2009 was the initial invitation. The heroes acknowledged that evening made saving lives and improving the quality of life on earth look fun and possible. I was enrolled. A half a year later I'd find myself on a rescue boat in central Ghana patrolling Lake Volta and its surrounding villages, in search of children who were being held captive and forced to work without the opportunity to be what they were: children.





    Outside of a day-care center in my hometown of Virginia, I had never worked with kids. I had also never been on a waterway that was operated largely by children. Only a short flight away from coastal USA, I couldn't believe the harsh, dangerous conditions. I was given a first hand look at a very real problem that exists all over the world; one that is largely caused by poverty, a difference between the haves and the have-nots. I was also given the opportunity to play with children who had just been rescued and were back in school and on the playground. The difference in the eyes and spirit to those kids compared to those who were working on the lake was one of total transformation. I became a walking jungle gym to their rambunctious energies. We sang songs. We kicked and passed the ball. We ate together. We laughed and danced together. And that's all anyone deserves to have. No matter what age, we all deserve the right to be a child, free to laugh at our victories and mistakes.





    A year later I'm still active and learning to use my voice in a way that demonstrates fighting for freedom as a fun and exciting way to spend your time. The tireless workers and the kids at the Challenging Heights shelter in Ghana are my fuel and for them I've written a few songs that people around the world are already singing. One being, Rescue, a song that reminds us everybody deserves to be heard, and for those who don't think they are, we're on our way to help. It's by acknowledging heroes that others will be inspired to be heroes as well. That's what got me going and it's what I look forward to doing more of.





    FreeTheSlavesBlog currently has a great update and share by James Koffi Annan, the real-life Indiana Jones I had the pleasure of adventuring on the rescue mission with. Thanks for checking them out!


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