"My religion is based on truth and nonviolence. Truth is my God. Nonviolence is the means of realizing Him." Mohandas K Gandhi
I am lying at the base of a tree and looking up at the long trunk through the branches to the blue sky above. This is a new way to look at the tree, oriented lying below it and looking up. It takes a moment of quiet, focused awareness of my breath and allowing the sounds of nature to soften my perceptions. I begin to look at the branches and try to notice where they begin at the tree's trunk. I ponder where do the tree's roots begin from the trunk under the ground. The edges of the branches and the roots are blurred into the trunk; flowing into one another. The interconnectedness of the parts of what I think of as a tree becomes apparent in my struggle to find where the tangled roots and uplifted branches become separate from the trunk. I realize that the names I have for the parts of the tree do not indicate the complexity of what actually is a tree.
Recently, I was speaking with a distant cousin, whom I had not heard from in quite a long time. In the course of our conversation, we began discussing book ideas, as aspiring wannabe writers will do. He announced that he was considering writing an autobiography with the lead sentence of the book being, "I am a musician, who is blind, gay, and both my parents were moderately mentally handicapped." While he thought this sentence encapsulated the truth of who he was, I began to think about how we define ourselves and hide the complexity of our true identities through our names, roles, ideas, disabilities, abilities, wounds...
In yoga, we become aware of the interrelatedness of all things. We realize a basic unity when there is no more black versus white, gay or straight, disabled and nondisabled, haves or have nots. In wisdom, we no longer have just facts and knowledge, rather we see the truth of what our words are pointing towards, giving meaning to our lives. We must be open to who we actually are rather than who we hope or expect or are told we are.
Yes, my cousin is all of these things, blind, gay, a talented musician, and raised by mentally handicapped parents who did the best they could and loved him with their whole hearts. He is much more than just these mere words. I would include courageous, whitty, handsome, sometimes happy-sometimes sad, a child of the Most High God, a man who has created a good life for himself and his partner despite great adversity, and so much more... I look at my cousin and wonder, where does one description of him begin and another end. How has the sum of who he is come about to create this valued human being.
The complexity of who he is, or any of us for that matter, is not immediately apparent upon first sight. All aspects of who we are (spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental) become interconnected in such a way as to create each of us, each perfect in our own selves. When we become aware of this interconnection, we may practice a kindness towards ourselves that is based in personal nonviolence. Nonviolence forces us to find and search for the truth that honors this interconnection of who we are for ourselves and for other living beings. Living a life that looks beyond our personal labels, roles, names, ideas, allows us to live in peace and nonviolence, inspiring and inviting others to be nonviolent towards themselves as well. As Gandhi stated, "My optimism rests on my belief in the infinite possibilities of the individual to develop nonviolence... in a gentle way, you can shake the world."
Out of compassion towards myself, I gather up the courage to act with respect, honor, and reverence for my own being and that of others.
May you find Gratitude and Peace in every moment.
Namaste, Joan
(Tree discussion adapted from Yoga for a World Out of Balance, Michael Stone, Shambhala Publications, Inc., 2009.)
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Path Begins
Every yoga class I teach begins with my students lying on their mats and becoming aware of their inhalations and their exhalations. As they explore their breath, I gently remind them that yoga is the union of our breath with our spirit, mind, emotions, and body. Often, as I am saying these words, I wonder if they understand what I am truly saying to them.
We live in a world of distractions, where taking time to move inward is often frowned upon if not openly criticized. We live 48 hour lives in 24 hour periods not taking time to eat nutritionally, to get enough sleep, to exercise regularly. We spend more time watching television than interacting with family members. In our distracted, busy, entertainment driven life, it is hard to slow down and pay attention to that which is not fast and flashy. This distraction makes it difficult for us to settle into ourselves and center, becoming more aware of our breath, our thoughts, our physical body, our emotions at that moment. We live life in our small little world, with our "eyes wide shut" to the outer world in which we live.
When we take time to be more flexible, patient, sensitive, centered, we can open ourselves to the world around us. We become aware of the changing of the seasons; the elderly neighbor who has lost her husband of 60 years on Christmas morning; the mother who has sent her only son to war; the gradual loss of the rainforest; the miles and miles of plastic bags floating in the Pacific Ocean killing the marine life; the sun setting on the horizon with its brilliant colors of pink and orange and deep blue; a baby's chuckle; our pet's warm greeting when we walk in the door. As our awareness of life happening around us increases, we often feel an awakening to the effects of our actions on the world around us. Becoming aware that we can make a difference now, we may begin to strive to live in a more respectful and sustainable way towards the world and all the sentient and nonsentient beings living on this globe with us.
In yoga, as we connect our breath to our flowing in and out of our poses, we may allow ourselves to still our body and mind, while releasing the negative emotions and tensions that we may be holding in our body. In this moment, we can engage ourselves, putting down our defenses that separate us from one another and the world around us. We may make a conscious choice to accept our interconnectedness with one another and the world, much like the waves of the ocean flowing into each other with a blurring of where one wave begins and another ends. Just the flow of the waves rising up and expanding, then falling and softening. So we begin by lying on our mats and becoming aware of our breath. On the inhale, we feel the expansion, the rising. As we exhale, we feel the softening, the letting go....
May you find peace and gratitude in every moment.
Namaste, Joan
We live in a world of distractions, where taking time to move inward is often frowned upon if not openly criticized. We live 48 hour lives in 24 hour periods not taking time to eat nutritionally, to get enough sleep, to exercise regularly. We spend more time watching television than interacting with family members. In our distracted, busy, entertainment driven life, it is hard to slow down and pay attention to that which is not fast and flashy. This distraction makes it difficult for us to settle into ourselves and center, becoming more aware of our breath, our thoughts, our physical body, our emotions at that moment. We live life in our small little world, with our "eyes wide shut" to the outer world in which we live.
When we take time to be more flexible, patient, sensitive, centered, we can open ourselves to the world around us. We become aware of the changing of the seasons; the elderly neighbor who has lost her husband of 60 years on Christmas morning; the mother who has sent her only son to war; the gradual loss of the rainforest; the miles and miles of plastic bags floating in the Pacific Ocean killing the marine life; the sun setting on the horizon with its brilliant colors of pink and orange and deep blue; a baby's chuckle; our pet's warm greeting when we walk in the door. As our awareness of life happening around us increases, we often feel an awakening to the effects of our actions on the world around us. Becoming aware that we can make a difference now, we may begin to strive to live in a more respectful and sustainable way towards the world and all the sentient and nonsentient beings living on this globe with us.
In yoga, as we connect our breath to our flowing in and out of our poses, we may allow ourselves to still our body and mind, while releasing the negative emotions and tensions that we may be holding in our body. In this moment, we can engage ourselves, putting down our defenses that separate us from one another and the world around us. We may make a conscious choice to accept our interconnectedness with one another and the world, much like the waves of the ocean flowing into each other with a blurring of where one wave begins and another ends. Just the flow of the waves rising up and expanding, then falling and softening. So we begin by lying on our mats and becoming aware of our breath. On the inhale, we feel the expansion, the rising. As we exhale, we feel the softening, the letting go....
May you find peace and gratitude in every moment.
Namaste, Joan
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