Choosing Peace

Have you ever come across an article that took you for a turn or created a turning point for you? I have a few. One of which is related to my practice. I had been practicing Ashtanga for a few months and I really got hooked on yoga magazines as I was trying to learn as much as possible.
I picked up Yoga Mind Body Spirit in December of 2007

I remember reading an article by Kino MacGregor. At that time I had no idea who she was. But the Article Title "Choosing Peace" stuck out to me as well did a photo of her in a crazy variation of bow. At that time I was still very new to the practice.

I read this article and it triggered something in me. I had been frustrated with my progress on my mat (which has happened several times since then....) I get frustrated with something and typically give up..walk away...quit.

That applies to everything. Social Situations, relationships, so on.
So this article has been one that I go back to often.

Choosing Peace
by Kino MacGreggor
You create your reality by the thoughts that you think. Your attention is itself responsible for your life experience. No matter how awful the traffic jam is, how loud your neighbors are, how inconsiderate people may seem, how delayed the airplane is, you are the one who is in control of your reality.
Regardless of what type of experience finds its way into your life, you always have power over your reaction to reality. In doing so, you are the true master of your own fate. Think that life is awful and it is...for you. Think that people are careless, blind and ignorant and they will be...to you. The power of positive thinking is a common topic of conversation, books and seminars in our post-new age, twenty-first century world. Most of us agree that it’s a good idea to concentrate our thoughts towards a positive goal, rather than lull around in the doldrums of complaint and whine. The real question lies not in the debate about whether we can create our own reality or not, but rather in the how.
Enter the five thousand year old tradition of which you take part when you practice yoga. Yoga is a true science of the mind where you actively practice choosing a peaceful response to distressful situations, thus giving you the tools for creating your reality in each moment. When you practice yoga, you watch your mind’s reaction to touching the borders of your physical reality. Your inner dialogue in postures that seem impossible to you parallels your reaction to life situations that push the boundary of your comfortability. Pushing these limits brings up fear, anger, sadness, frustration, and numerous other insidious emotions.
It is easy to let your mind spin away into these temptations, however, with regular practice you will have the strength to remain calm, focused and aware. It’s like the difference between scratching an itch automatically and feeling the itch, then choosing not to scratch. As you remain calm, you are able to choose a peaceful response to your experience and thereby create your own reality. Wayne Dyer says that it is always possible to stop any life experience and say to yourself, “I can choose peace over this.” Yoga gives you a forum to practice saying to yourself that you acutally can choose peace over the patterns that you’re practiced in the past. You finally have the strength to stop scratching those pesky itches.
Your thoughts are crystal clear in between your breath, posture, and drishti. With no one else to blame, no where else to run, nothing left to do, start where you are, in the center of your created life experience and begin the dedicated, devotional path towards creating a peaceful life in the present moment. One breath at a time.


After being inspired by this article and Kino's words I quickly went on a google hunt. I found Miami Life Center
I thought if I ever ended up in Miami I had to practice there. Well later on in 2008 a group of friends decided to take a trip to attend the grand opening of the Yoga Shala in Islamorada .
We found out it was cancelled the week prior---but the condo was paid for and we all had the week off. So we went anyway.
We all agreed to head to Miami for one mysore class with Kino. Here we are after a sweaty mysore practice in the Miami heat March 2008. Nearly 2 years ago.