march2003
namaste all.
welcome to the beginning of spring, hopefully...
the month of
march.
since we've all been freezing, awaiting the obvious change
in the weather to
initiate a change in our experience,
let's take a slightly different look.
to remember ourselves and our roles in the world, let's pay attention to the
details of our lives. the ancient yogic texts provide an idea of how to visit
those details, for the texts themselves are presented in small bits for us to
unwrap and examine slowly.
for example, the yoga sutras (translated as "threads") are aphorisms on the
practice of yoga. each sutra is indeed like a thread;
when unraveled it expands, revealing ever more wisdom.
similarly, each detail of our experience has implications for every other aspect
of our lives.
as dr. douglas brooks, our beloved philosophy teacher explains,
"you don't learn
to generalize by learning things in general."
so we pay closer attention. each
interaction, word, thought,
glance and exchange of energy affects everything
else in our lives.
it's not just when we're in yoga class that what we do
transforms us and our
experience of the world.
every single one of our actions expands
into the world around us.
what we offer in our daily lives correlates directly
to what is offered back to
us.
this is why we practice slowly, speak carefully, think attentively for
ourselves. release our expectations.
we watch ourselves and pause before reacting
so we'll always come from our own
truth, our own creation.
if every one of our actions and words expands and creates more of itself,
just
as the universe does, we must always be watching.
an exercise to work with: every night before we go to sleep, we can review our
day. how we spoke, acted and handled situations, if we lied or behaved
impulsively. if we look honestly, we discover how we really are and gather
observations about ourselves. that is the first step towards awareness.
practice this observation gathering without judgment, though... it's very
tempting to judge, dismiss ourselves and write our actions off as "our nature."
in fact, our "nature" --how we are-- is simply a set of associations and
experiences that we've built up over time without paying attention.
now, if we begin to pay attention, we choose what we do,
what transforms us, how
we communicate. every moment.
we can truly draw the whole of our experience from every
small part of our
experience. fill everything with
your attention, your intention, your
greatness, your love.
that is sacredness: become reliable to yourself and
afford yourself the space in which to safely grow.
enjoy this month's workshops: chakra loop breathing with giten, ayurvedic
massage and nutrition with aarona and jena,
inversions with elena and an encore
beginner workshop with kim.
thank you all for your practice and love.
may we have some warm weather
veryverysoon...
blessings.
e