Statuary Around Town
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Being Present in the Present
Much is made by Westerners of the exhortation in Eastern practice to be in the present moment, but it often is used as justification for a feckless disregard for others, for our history, and for our own power to change and grow.
Being fully in the moment at all times (easier said than done) by virtue of the fullness of presence itself, leaves no room for belaboring the past or being anxious about what might not come to pass, which is wonderful indeed.
To be truly present, though, to live in the “now” is an artful dance. It requires being fully in the moment, while simultaneously honoring and learning from the past and taking responsibility for the future. It is thus that we live best–both recognizing ourselves as beings in the fabric of space and time, yet simultaneously experiencing the universal joy unbound by the limitations of space and time. This is, I think, the ultimate point of the practices.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
- Asana, Pranayama, and Yoga Practice | Community and Family | Food for the Mind (Yoga Philosophy, etc) | Photos
Uma Washing
Uma the goddess combining tapas with sauca.
See Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra II.32
A Day to Myself
Last week, when I said to a colleague, “see you Tuesday,” she replied, “where are you going?” It was as if simply to enjoy where I live or rest or quietly take care of house and garden was not within the range of possibility. Is it that I am somehow not worthy if I have not planned to do something I could talk about when I returned to the office? Or is it that pervasive societal sense that happiness lies only in finding new and more experience?I think that it is important to have episodic time away from doing. I used to get sick when I’d been running around non-stop with work and errands and exploration, etc. Now I try to take some quiet time at decent intervals. It does not need to be a full day. Just a couple of solid hours without engaging in a planned activity every couple of weeks makes all the difference in my mood, my health, and the quality of my work.
Durga Yantra
Last night at dinner a friend noticed my necklace and asked about it.
“My friend Eleanor Drabo, who is at Eastern Market on the weekends, and is a wonderful artist and jewelry designer, made it for me,” I told her.
“Did you draw the image?” she asked.
“I asked for the basic design,” I explained, “it’s the central part of the yantra for the Goddess Durga. She’s the Goddess who had to slay the demon the the male gods made so powerful they couldn’t get rid of the demon themselves. I had it made of scrap gold–broken jewelry I’d found over the years at yard sales, a couple of unstylish single earrings that might have been a grandmother’s, and the custom ring from my former marriage.”
“That sounds like a story for your blog,” she suggested, “such a transformation.”
“It could be.”
- Asana, Pranayama, and Yoga Practice | Community and Family | Food for the Mind (Yoga Philosophy, etc) | Meditation | Photos | Quaker
Found Exhortation
What we do matters even if it does not (or apparently does not) change the big picture.
I find contributing in some way helps me feel less despondent, even if that is because I have occupied my mind with positive action for as long as I am doing it.
