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Found Exhortation (and Tandava)
And also with shadow.
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Happy Pi Day
Do you, too, find yourself unexpectedly observing holidays? I’d forgotten the day when I was moved to make pizza for dinner.
Yes, There Is Class At Wm Penn House Tonight (Web Version of E-Weather Notice
Dear Friends,
I hope you are having a great day and that the ice did not cause any trouble for you. It was fun, in its own way, to hack the ice off of the steps and sidewalk and then, only a few hours later, see the ice melt.
As the sidewalks (and streets) are now merely wet, I can walk safely the eight blocks (my assessment of whether to cancel class in winter weather is based on my cautious assessment of whether I feel comfortable walking the distance to class). Class is on at William Penn House tonight.
Hope to see many of you.
Peace and light,
Elizabeth
Remembrance
I woke up this morning remembering. How could I not? People all over the world are remembering and thinking about the events of 9/11 and how they changed the course of global society.
And yesterday morning I woke up at my friend’s house in the East Bay to the news of the explosion in San Bruno. Even as we enjoyed the city and got together with another friend, the frightening and intense tragedy going on just a few miles away was not far from my mind. How is it that but for having read the news, we would not even have known?
This morning we will be going to hike in Muir Woods. I will be embracing nature and friendship, but still remembering. It is, I think, by loving and embracing life to the fullest that we can remember and have the most strength and will to offer of ourselves and move towards a more compassionate existence, and I think that is the true teaching of the tantric yoga.
What are you doing today? How are you sharing your memories and your dreams? What are you doing to help make the changes you wish to see in the world? I am asking myself these questions even as I am sharing them.
“Beginner’s Mind” (and vikalpa samkara)
Vikalpa samskara is a term that describes the fundamental process of an ever refining yoga practice. It encompasses both study of text (with a teacher) and experiential learning and practice. With just experience, we may feel full unto ourselves, but we cannot explain the richness of our experience to others nor can we understand why. If we just hear something from a teacher or see a picture or read about it in a book, however, no matter how book smart we are, we do not have the understanding that comes from personal experience. It is by continuously combining and refining study and practice, that we can have a progressive deepening of true knowledge.
We often talk about “beginner’s mind” with respect to asana practice and meditation (and bringing the beauty of that state off of the mat). We are invited to be receptive and open the way is an ideal beginner, who wants to learn, but does not yet know the topic.
What does “beginner’s mind” really mean, though, in the context of someone who is experienced? I do not believe that it should mean discarding either book learning or discrimination built of experience. What it suggests to me is to approach our practice and life with freshness, with open-mindedness, without being bound by preconceived notions. I think this is the true process of vikalpa samskara. To be able to deepen our knowledge ever more deeply, we have to be willing to be open to shifts and changes in understanding. Then “samskara” does not become a rut, a bad habit, the inevitable effect from a previous action, but the development of a deepening path for more refined understanding.
