| |

Robin Redbreasts (and the importance of sequencing in time and space)

ByElizabeth

I am working from home today.  I looked out of my window and saw a flurry of birds going from one roof to another.  There were the usual starlings, but among them were five robin redbreasts.  They definitely do not belong here this time of year.  Instead of getting the usual song in my heart from the first sighting of the robin redbreast of spring, I am filled with concern.  What are they doing here?  Will they survive?  How can they get worms out of the frozen ground?  Have they been confused by the warming pattern over the last several years?

I know that the robins are out of place here this time of year from a combination of learning and observing over the years what is supposed to be their season in this part of the world.  So too with many things that at one time a place, a practice, a relationship will serve and another will take us away from what is optimal.  As with yoga practice, we learn for ourselves and what is around us, what is optimal when and where, by a combination of study and practice.

There were also a few gulls. We see those around town sometimes because of the tidal basin, but not usually here in my back alley.  Is there some kind of special bird conference going on that I was privileged to witness?

Similar Posts

  • | |

    A Guest at William Penn House

    ByElizabeth

    When I arrived at the William Penn House to teach yoga tonight, there were a couple of suitcases in the room. I asked one of the interns to help me move them. A guest came to help as one of the suitcases was his. I invited him to join us for yoga class. He expressed interest though declined this visit because he had a plane to catch. He stayed to chat while I was making the room ready.

    The conversation started with snow and New York State and then Quaker peace activities–the latter hardly surprising for someone staying at William Penn House. The guest was older than me and had been an activist for a long time. I thought he would certainly know my Dad who has been doing peace-related volunteer work in New York for 50 years give or take a few. Yes, he knew my Dad and so I will send regards.

    The guest said on parting that he thought all workshops for activists should start with some type of movement practice such as yoga. I agreed. Not only does it help bring the group together, but it invites all the participants to be stronger, healthier, and more flexible to better carry out their purpose.

    My students began to arrive–the first, who came in the middle of the conversation, expressing the opinion that the guest would have been a great addition to the class. The guest went on his way, saying he would be thinking about yoga as he waited in the airport for his flight. And I brought the sense of deepened community and purpose from this chance encounter into my teaching.

    Photo of marker outside the Friends Committee on National Legislation

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

  • |

    Ardha, Kama, Dharma, Moksha

    ByElizabeth

    Friday, when I was traveling through New York City on my way home from a business trip, I detoured to the Metropolitan to see the Walker Evans’ postcards and the Bonnard, Late Interiors.  The curator chose this quote to inform the viewing of the paintings:  “Material concerns and worries about the future are troubling me a lot, and I’m afraid that painting may abandon me because of a lack of mental freedom.”  Pierre Bonnard to Henri Matisse, September 1940.

    The quote made me think of the yoga principles of ardha, kama, dharma, moksha. In classical yoga, in order to reach liberation (moksha), we need to have our material life — how we eat, consume, dwell, etc. (ardha), our love and relationships (kama), and our work/life path (dharma), in right order.  From a tantric perspective, when ardha, kama, and dharma are aligned so that mind, body, and spirit are united in our day to day being, then we are living liberated — jivan mukti (moksha).

    In 1940, the Nazis were growing in power and World War II was impending.  Bonnard had lost his love, Marthe, was ill and aging, and was in some financial difficulty.  He was afraid of losing his vision, his creativity (dare I interpret “painting may abandon me” as “loss of connection to spirit”) because ardha and kama were out of alignment.  The late paintings carry a sense of yearning of spirit — perhaps because of the consciousness that struggling physically and emotionally challenges our ability to truly see, to feel connected to spirit.  The paintings are lovely with color and light.  The subject matter makes them accessible at a surface level.  Shadowy figures and ambiguities, though, give a sense of longing and seeking.  Although there is a certain basic prettiness because of the color and the subject matter, they are not comfort paintings.  They invite one to think about whether color is enough, whether home is enough, what we need to be in a place where we can rest at one with ourselves.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.