Martin Luther King B’Day Walkabout
I went on a long walk, thinking about happiness, liberty, justice, and fairness. To see some of what I witnessed during this contemplation, click here.
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- Art and Culture | Asana, Pranayama, and Yoga Practice | Community and Family | Food for the Mind (Yoga Philosophy, etc)
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Will what you think of as a source of happiness bring you contentment? Will it expand your and others well-being?
Yes, There Will Be Class Tonight at William Penn House
For those students who live within a few blocks, have power, and are not needed for such emergency assistance that can be provided before the trains are running and the roads reopened, what better than to come out and practice yoga as usual? (Or if the storm has made it impossible to get out, it’s a great time for your home practice).
The yoga practices are such a healthy way to channel the energy from having been cooped up by the storm and to revive and enhance one’s flexibility, adaptability, balance, and strength. It has been my experience that steady practice invites us to be ever more capable to address what confronts and engages us on our path (whether we like it or not). Sending loving energy to all who have been challenged hard by Sandy’s path or otherwise.
Some Musings on Guru Purnima
This full moon is both the one called by some “guru purnima“–with rituals to honor the teacher–and also the relatively rare blue moon. I’ve been seeing lots of postings on social media about guru purnima by my friends who are engaged in the practice, study, and teaching of yoga. The variations in the postings about guru purnima are as wide as what the person believes is the guru–from recognition of a person who has been named a guru; to teachers, recognized as such; to simply the invocation of our own teacher within. Suggestions for ritual range from specific puja to just an invitation to think about the concept and to recognize those who have imparted wisdom to us that has enhanced our lives (even if we have to do a lot of work to know that).
I’ve never personally been called to have a guru (among other things, it is too counter to my unprogrammed Quaker upbringing). I do, though, have many teachers, some more formally serving in that role than others and I cheerfully honor them today.
I invite you to think about what it means to have teachers, i.e., to be a true student. How we might be living if we consciously interrelate with all around us, human and not, as both a student and teacher all of the time? What quality of listening and openness would that require? What might we be learning? What might we teach?
I Wanted to Be Near the Water
When I finished practicing this morning, all I wanted was to be near the water. I walked to the tidal basin–about seven miles round trip. Some of the museums were open. After the crowds in New York, even the Natural History Museum for a rest stop did not seem too, too terrible. The day was almost balmy, no need for a scarf or hat even with the wind off of the water. Appreciating the contrast between walking around in DC and NY, I found myself remembering why I had first decided to come to DC from New York to go to law school, based on an initial visit in February: the snow was melted and the museums were free.
