Rolf Gates - Meditations on intention and being: daily reflections on the path of yoga, mindfulness, and compassion

Praise for Rolf Gatess

Meditations on Intention and Being

Rolf presents his wealth of yoga knowledge and his life experiences in such a way that you feel encouraged to follow suit. He combines the more complex teachings of Buddha with specific examples that guide the reader through very meaningful and accessible chapters. Not only does he talk the talkhe walks the walk too.

Kathryn Budig, yoga teacher and author of Aim True

Meditations on Intention and Being is a wonderful balance between personal story and traditional Eastern philosophy, and offers an inspirational and informed perspective on the place of yoga, mindfulness, and compassion in our everyday lives.

Beryl Bender Birch, author of Power Yoga and Yoga for Warriors

Rolf has done it again. These reflections are so down-to-earth and practical that you relax just reading them. If you are interested in living your life from the inside out, this is the book you want to start your day with.

Congressman Tim Ryan, author of A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Improve Performance, and Recapture the American Spirit

Inspiring and accessible. Rolfs intimate writing about his own life journey demonstrates to the reader how to apply the key teachings from yoga and mindfulness in everyday life.

Phillip Moffitt, author of Dancing with Life and Emotional Chaos to Clarity

Gatess searching meditations on lifes pains and imperfections, and the huge challenges we face in meeting those pains with compassion, are among the most eloquent I have read in modern yoga literature.

Rob Schware, executive director, the Give Back Yoga Foundation; president, the Yoga Service Council

Filled with beautifully polished reflections on life and ancient wisdom teachings. Rolfs personal honesty and ability to craft a lush story make page after page a brilliant, insightful gift.

R. Nikki Myers, founder, Y12SR (The Yoga of 12-Step Recovery)

A masterful work of art. My heart is more open, my mind is quieter, and my purpose is clearer after reading this extraordinary book.

Sarah Gardner, founder, Yoga Reaches Out

Meditations on Intention and Being whispers us through a heartfelt journey into both inward and outward dimensions. This book challenges the reader, but more important, supports and instills hope. I recommend it for anyone seeking to live a better, more fulfilling life.

Matthew Sanford, president and CEO, Mind Body Solutions; author of Waking

Meditations on Intention and Being is a gift of Rolfs accessible and uncanny wisdom that we can enjoy from our favorite chair, sofa, or yoga mat right at home.

Brian Leaf, author of Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi

An excellent guide to further all of us down our personal path of knowledge and understanding. As Rolf talks about how some of these life lessons came to him, we see how they often appear in simple, everyday occurrences. As he points out, we should take these teachings where we find them and apply them however works. So no matter what happens, no matter where we find ourselves in the metaphorical sense, just keep paddling.

Gerry Lopez, legendary surfer, actor, and author of Surf Is Where You Find It

Rolf speaks to us out of his own struggles and learnings, his own ongoing path of growth, and his own authenticity, humility, and self-compassion.

Gordon Wheeler, president, Esalen Institute

ALSO BY ROLF GATES

Meditations from the Mat:

Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga

(with Katrina Kenison)

AN ANCHOR BOOKS ORIGINAL, DECEMBER 2015

Copyright 2015 by Rolf Gates

Photographs Arica Grafton

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Anchor Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York, and distributed in Canada by Random House of Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Ltd., Toronto.

Anchor Books and colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress.

Anchor Books Trade Paperback ISBN9781101873502

eBook ISBN9781101873519

Book design by Jaclyn Whalen

Cover design by Carson Dyle
Cover images (front) Alen MacWeeney/Corbis; (back) clouds Tetra Images/Shutterstock; wood Gilmanshin/Shutterstock

www.anchorbooks.com

v4.1

a

FOR JASMINE AND DYLAN

Live your questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it you will live along some distant day into your answers.

Rainer Maria Rilke

1) Write down your hearts desires and reflect on them often.

2) Hold these intentions in your heart steadily, undisturbed by lifes duality.

3) Choose faith and flow over fear and control.

1) Compassion: The felt experience of the desire that all beings be free from suffering.

2) Loving-kindness: The felt experience of the desire that all beings be safe, healthy, happy, and free.

3) Equanimity: The felt experience of a steadiness and composure that is undisturbed by lifes ups and downs.

4) Joy: The felt experience of finding joy in others happiness and success.