Yogi, surfer, and blissologist Eoin Finn (B.A., EYRT) says he wants 10,000 people to commit to bliss in 2011 and he has created the “Blissology Project” to get people motivated and moving. On January 27, 2011, during the Toronto leg of his Blissology tour, Finn talked to Val Tobin about the Blissology Project, the Blissology DVDs, and how people can use them to take their lives on an “upward spiral.”
The Upward Spiral, Attracting Good, and the Blissology Project
Finn says that most people understand what a downward spiral is and talk about it, but not a lot of people talk about experiencing an upward spiral or are even conscious that it exists. Finn defines an upward spiral as “feeling good, then doing good, then attracting more good things, which make you feel better, which makes you start doing more good things, which attracts more good and so on.”
Finn’s personal experience of the upward spiral in his own life compelled him to want to bring the upward spiral to others. This desire to spread the joy resulted in the Blissology Project. Finn explains that Blissology is “the art of tuning into something big; the experience of love.” The Blissology DVD is part of the greater mission of the Blissology Project in general and is a whole lifestyle program, not just a simple yoga DVD.
The Blissology Project E-Book and The Blissology Commitments
Finn wrote a Blissology Project E-Book as a companion to the DVD. In the book, Finn describes his life mission, defines blissology, expands on his vision for the project, and outlines the bliss commitments, providing instruction for keeping the commitments through journaling and other means. Finn’s philosophy infuses the entire booklet.
The essence of the Blissology Project is to have people adhere to five Blissology Commitments over a four-week period in order to establish habits that will take them into an upward spiral. The five commitments involve yoga, meditation, nature appreciation, food awareness and gratitude. There is also a “wild card” that changes weekly and users can access from the Blissology website.
Commitment to Yoga
The first commitment is to daily yoga, whether you follow the yoga sessions on the DVD or attend classes at a yoga studio. Yoga studios around the globe are signing up to participate in the program, to make it easier for people to stick to their commitments. The yoga sessions on the DVD range from 27 to 55 minutes in length. There are 12 different yoga routines incorporating a variety of themes, with adaptations for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
The DVD was filmed on location in Bali and that alone is worth the price of the DVD. The combination of setting, music, instructors, and instruction make up a series of yoga sessions that are a pleasure to do each day. I find myself looking forward to doing the exercises rather than engaging in procrastination and avoidance tactics. I own other yoga DVDs, most of which are very good. But none of them has given me this sense of fun and joy that I get from doing the blissology routines.
Commitments to Meditation and Nature Appreciation
The second commitment is to daily meditation. Six ten-minute meditations are included in the DVD. The meditations help you to centre and relax, as well as to settle your mind chatter. The one thing I found difficult at first was to keep my eyes closed through the meditation and shut everything out, including the beautiful scenes from Bali shown on the DVD. My solution was to go through each meditation once with my eyes open just to take it all in.
The Bali setting is a constant reminder that nature appreciation is part of the commitments, and I find that when I do either the yoga or a meditation, I take stock of my own surroundings and find something in nature to notice and appreciate. Winter is always a difficult season for me, as I dislike the cold. But I have noticed that since making a concerted effort to appreciate what is around me, I’ve been able to not only look out the window and find the beauty in the snow-covered world outside but also to actually go out into it and connect with it more fully. Participating in the program has allowed me to see winter from more than one perspective and it is nourishing to the soul.
Commitments to Food Awareness and Gratitude
Another commitment is to food awareness and Finn makes it clear that this is not about recommending a specific diet. My assumption was that he would recommend vegetarianism, but he set me straight immediately. Finn says that all he wants people to do is to let go of their current associations with the word “diet,” which, he tells me, tend to be negative associations. Basically, he wants people to get prana-filled food, which is “food that actually really nourishes your cells. More specifically, you know when you have prana in your body because you actually feel vibrantly alive.”
All the commitments are inter-related, and the final one, gratitude, is also strongly bound to the others. As Finn points out, “There’s an intertwining of all of them, so of course, you’re practicing gratitude when you’re eating. You’re probably seeing nature appreciation with your food when you’re actually considering where it came from. Is there a factory between you and your food? The meditation is to eat mindfully and the yoga is to try and increase the prana.”
Practicing Yoga Safely
Finn recommends educating yourself about yoga in order to practice it safely. Go to a yoga studio and have some sessions from a qualified instructor who can teach you correct form and technique.
The yoga on the DVDs is composed of a series of flows or Vinyasas, and if you study and learn the poses with the help of the instructional videos, then you can better follow the choreography of the yoga flows on the Blissology DVD. While you would get better with practice just by doing the DVDs regularly, the instructional videos help you to get there that much faster, and the reward is that you feel powerful, confident, and graceful as you move through the flows.
Finn’s Blissology Project is a unique methodology for creating that upward spiral in your life, and the Blissology Project DVD is a valuable aid to help you meet your bliss commitments. Regardless of where you are in your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual journey, committing to the Blissology Project will help elevate you to the next level. The result is a greater feeling of connectedness, appreciation, awareness and physical power.
The Blissology Project: Yoga, Meditation and Lifestyle
Featuring Eoin Finn
Running time: Yoga sessions vary from 27 to 55 minutes; meditations are ten minutes;
Released in 2010
References
Image: The Blissology Project DVD, Courtesy of Eoin Finn
Finn, Eoin, Blissology Project, (Accessed February 5, 2011)
Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to substitute advice from your physician or health-care professional. Before beginning any health or diet program, consult your physician