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    This, and also…

    ByElizabeth

    When I was on the bus to go to Meeting for Worship, police officers boarded the bus and came up to young couple with an infant who had been sitting quietly and minding their own business. The police said they just wanted to talk and they also insisted they get off the bus because the police weren’t going to be holding up the bus. Even though the police wouldn’t answer why they were stopping them, the family got off the bus.

    I managed to have the presence of mind to record the interaction, being obvious and also quietly in my seat. I held the phone horizontally, recorded the police, not those under scrutiny, etc.

    When the bus was moving towards the next stop, I saw National Guard walking briskly in the direction of where the police had been.

    The challenge is how to be aware and alert, to be responsive, to help in the fight, and also remain lovingly present, to hold all present and impacted in the light.

    I saw other clutches of National Guards throughout the residential parts of the city. I choose not to find my peace of mind by becoming inured to their ubiquitous presence.

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    Politics and “Inner Work”

    ByElizabeth

    The other day, an acquaintance whom I met through yoga asked in an email whether I was still into politics or whether I was now more focused on my “inner work.” He lives in suburbia and voted for both Bushes and, at least in the early years, thought this country belonged in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He practices asana and meditation, and eats a vegetarian diet, but he does it entirely for his own health and looks and not out of any evident intention of aligning with the flows and forces of nature or concern for all beings and the environment. For him, politics and yoga and meditation practices have nothing to do with each other.

    I think it is wonderful that anyone takes care of their health and diet in a way that maximizes a health and a sense of well-being and minimizes the need to resort to medication and other Western medical care, which is a boon not only for the individual, but for the environment and for society in terms of cost.

    For me, though, there is no separation between inner and outer work if one is living in the world and not in the cloister or the monastery. It is true that if one is out of inner alignment or unhealthy, it is not possible to be best aligned with nature, and thus, there is a need to do work for our self personally. But the true point of the practices is to help provide inner quiet, steadiness, and wisdom in our daily lives, which for a householder includes being an educated and active citizen.

    Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

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    Sometimes We Need to Figure It Out Ourselves Regardless of Consequences

    ByElizabeth

    How do we as teachers, yoga or otherwise, let our students find their own way, but still convey in a way that is heard that some things are best not experienced?

    I told her she would not enjoy jumping up on the utility sink, but did Maitri listen?

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    Eco-Tourism v. Eco-Travel

    ByElizabeth

    Last night I dreamed that I was taking a group of yoga students to the Galapagos.  I was already on my way, and the dream information did not include the decision-making process that started the venture.  Instead of being excited, though, I was feeling anxious and guilty about bringing my inherently destructive presence (the one that eats, defecates, urinates, bathes, wears sunblock, requires built shelters, and, to travel, uses fossil fuels) to a place that we value for its uniqueness in nature and relatively pristine qualities.  I woke thinking it was absurd to have had that dream; couldn’t I have enjoyed myself just a little without feeling overwhelmed by questions, doubts, and guilt?  Why on earth did my unconscious serve this dream up for me?  Is it going to make me live a less environmentally conflicted life (that won’t even begin to happen until I move into a much smaller dwelling unit, my house being my biggest infringement on the environment)?  Probably not.

    For Christmas this year, I’ll be doing my own version of eco-travel — going to New York City.  I’ll be taking the train both from DC to NYC and, on the day I go out to visit my parents, from the City to the Island.  To get around NY, I’ll walk or take public transporation.  I’ll eat mostly vegetarian/vegan food, some local and organic.  I’ll drink tap not bottled water (which is easy to do in NY).   I’ll have my bamboo utensils, cloth napkin and carry cup for the meals I don’t eat in a restaurant and my own carry bag.  I’ll have handkerchiefs instead of paper tissues.  I won’t have the hotel wash the linens until I leave.  Oh yes, I’ll be consuming and enjoying.  I’ll be eating and looking at art and seeing theater and/or music and/or dance and will inevitably do some shopping.

    Where is your balance?  Are you comfortable with it?

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