hi.
My website is finally in the works (thank you Maja!), so I can post my ramblings on a blog soon, and keep you in the loop on yoga classes & workshops. In the meantime, just a note to say hi and let you know you're in my heart...
I've been settling in with the studio ownership transition. While I'm enjoying having a whole day off, and appreciating the extra time for my own practice, I do miss the regular communication of the studio newsletters. I want to remind you how grateful I am for our community. Thank you for the gift of teaching!
To say this week has been tough doesn't even come close. I found myself losing hours watching the news and reading articles about Orlando, and spending time thinking back to the suffering here after the Boston Marathon, the acute pain after Sandy Hook. It is easy, after a tragedy, to focus on the horror in the world. The media will highlight it for you over and over again. Your eyes & mind get pre-disposed to look for confirmation of it, even in the mundane parts of the day- traffic, grocery shopping, life in the city. In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali acknowledges the inherent suffering that comes with being human. This suffering is a direct result of spending too much time lingering in the past or dreaming of the future. And so, the practice of yoga offers relief: simply be present. Shut off the TV and put the iPhone away, and get on the mat- to feel and breath instead of thinking. In this moment, everything is okay. Part of why yoga is so powerful is that it provides the time and focus to strip away everything that is not RIGHT NOW. And when the practice continues off the mat, the life that is actually unfolding around you every day will be more apparent. Instead of looking to confirm all of the negative, fresh eyes might see evidence of all of the good things in the world. I believe in the inherent goodness of all people, that we are hard-wired for love. In reality, maintaining this belief takes hard work and practice. I set daily intentions of staying open and strong and trusting in love, and my asana practice is a physical reminder of this intention. So this week, I practiced & taught Warrior 1, a favorite pose requiring strong roots, flexibility, connection and trust. A grounded pose to reveal the heart. A reminder that to stay open takes both hard work- real action- as well as release. And I also took action, calling my congressmen and woman to call for sensible gun reform. If you are interested in making a call, or sending an email, it's easy: http://www.contactingthecongress.org.
How do you stay open and vulnerable in a world that doesn't always feel safe? Stay with it! I will, too.
|
