Spiraling Inward
Forget naughty and nice. Be honest. Caring. Kind.
Yoga's an ethical system. Through the daily practices of movement, breathing and meditation, we develop the capacity for an honest relationship with ourselves, for better and for worse, and within our relationships and our broader life circumstances. A spiral is an appropriate symbol to illustrate the work of Yoga, and a map for the literal, spiritual work of deep winter, a time when nature's dormancy can encourage our own rooting, resting and honest evaluation of where we are now. The season is ripe to identify the multitude of us-es, if we have gained the presence and strength, through practice, the good, the bad and the ugly. And to hold space for them all, with virtues such as care, patience, compassion and love, so that we can heal our wounds, so that we can nurture the inner faculties we'd like to see blooming as the days grow longer.
The deep winter ethic of realness, of authenticity, of satyam, of honesty without ill intent, is already happening at Yoga Foundation this week.
Overheard realness inspiration for your own journey, from this week.
“I came home and fell asleep, in the middle of the day. I never do that.” (after a group āsana and prāṇāyāma session)
“I have been very faithful with this practice. I barely ever miss a day.” (after 3/4 year of not meeting).
“I just looked at her. I was speechless. And didn’t try to hide it.” (weeks after starting and realizing her relationship was very imbalanced).
“After practice, I completely shut down. I didn’t want to talk to anyone.” (following a first meditation session).
“My hamstrings are so sore!” (feedback after a first Yoga class ever).
“I felt an inner glowing.” (post Yoga for osteoporosis)
“I practiced my breathing during mealtime to calm myself down.” (Yoga for eating disorder homework)
“I’m regressing. My self-control is pretty much non-existent this month.” (a long time practitioner struggling to balance her guna-s due to stressful family and financial circumstances).
“Every six months I get a feeling it’s time for a new practice.” (a Yoga Therapy student on recognizing the work a practice has done and when it’s time to deepen even further).
Out of darkness, solitude, quiet, honest reflection and acceptance of our current realities, light, lightness and wisdom will emerge. Not permanently, but long enough for some lessons to fuel our next moves, in Yoga and in life.