I tried to take a picture of the brief snow flurries that greeted us on the way home, but they were too sparse to be photogenic. The sounds of helicopters circling, too, defied documentation.
We offered our loving best energy as we practiced just steps away from the preparations for this ever critically important event.
Though nothing was broken, some things danced a jig and some fell in the earthquake. The quake must have shaken open the door to the basement. The cats, of course, immediately headed for that usually forbidden territory. Uma came up to be with me as soon as I went downstairs to make sure all was well with the cats and garden and main floor. I gave Uma a treat, and she went back to sunning her self on the catio. Almost an hour later, Sully is still hiding behind the washer-dryer.
What a great reminder that we cannot change much of what happens, but we have a choice in how we behave in response (even if our immediate reactions vary by our innate nature).
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
In the tantric philosophy, one of the aspects ascribed to the ultimacy of being itself is that it is completely free (svatantriya). Even when elemental being manifests itself as limited in time and space (as humans for example), it is part of the very dance, the play (lila) of existence.
I find it fascinating how much of our advertising uses language that in essence promises that we will realize aspects of our divine nature by owning some material thing or indulging in some activity. What is being sold, by those terms, inevitably fails deliver and must thoroughly disappoint. This thing on offer might be a wonderful technological toy that would be great fun to use, but hardly could bring unlimited freedom. If it did, we wouldn’t want to buy the next version.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
Last night in class, I asked why people continued to come to class. “To see how I can expand,” “for the community,” “for the delight,” “for relaxation,” were some of the answers. Orie asked me what led me to teach. The first reason I gave (and the one that was the primary reason for entering teacher training) was that I had been so inspired by what yoga had offered me that I wanted to share it.
The second reason I gave was that teaching helps keep me disciplined about my practice. I cannot abide hypocrisy, and so, I feel compelled to try my best to practice what I teach. I do not always embody fully the teachings in my own life and practice, but I am always trying. Knowing how the teachings and practices have shifted me and witnessing how the teachings inspire my students, leads me to continue to study, to practice, to try and align better on and off the mat.
Today, with a day of stressful meetings and phone calls ahead, it will be a good day to try to live the practice.
In the yoga theory of the rasas, very roughly, the same categories of emotions can either weigh us down or move us toward spirit, depending on intensity and the way we experience them. For example, grief and compassion are on the same continuum.
With that in mind, I ask what is the exhortation to “beware,” if we are mindful and not trapped by unnecessary fears, but a reminder that we will navigate life with less trouble if we consistently are aware.
