The type of yoga that I teach is a very physical practice - that's what makes it so attractive, I think, to so many people in our culture. You can skip the gym, you don't need weights or cardio - you get it all in heated power class. It's a flow - it just keeps coming at you - kind of like life.
It's also a practice of moving energy. Even if you don't buy into the talk of moving & shifting energy, you can't help but feel it. You can get on your mat feeling crappy & worried & stressed & fearful & like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. And at some point in your practice you'll start to feel better. Most of the time, that is.
The tragedy of last Friday is different. I see people coming into class worried & fearful & filled with sadness. I see people crying quietly in class. I hear teachers, healers, saying they're not sure what do or what to say. I'm not sure what to do or what to say. What can you say?
The Winter Solstice is this Friday. 12-21-12. It's also the end of a cycle of the Mayan calender. People talk about the end of the world, especially in light of what happened Friday.
I find myself talking about energy & intention. You do awaken a tremendous energy within yourself when you practice yoga. And you feel tapped in to a bigger energy around you. Intention, to me, is the simple act of dedicating that energy. Dedicate it to the people touch by Friday's tragedy. To anyone out there in pain. To world peace.
I imagine that same energy as light. We are all energy & are filled with light. When you practice, you awaken your energy & your light. If this is starting to sound like a bunch of new age, mumbo jumbo, just remember the last time you met with a really dynamic person or, for that matter, a really peaceful person. Didn't they seem to give off light? Couldn't you feel their energy?
I don't really know what to do or say about last Friday. So I set an intention everytime I get on my mat. I ask my students to set an intention. I remind myself that I am filled with love & light & that the world needs more love & light. And I send my love & light out into the world. I remind my students that they are filled with love & light & that the world needs more love & light. And I ask them to send their love & light out into the world.
I am inspired by my teachers & my friends who are healers who are also reminding people of this. It can be easy, in a dark time, to turn to anger & give in to fear & close people off. Sometimes it's more challenging to keep an open heart & to send out love & light, but it's needed.
The Solstice is a reminder that in the darkest of days, light will return - strong & bright & vibrant. And this Solstice, it seems especially appropriate. We all have the opportunity, every day, to share love & light. Yes, I think it's especially powerful when you get on your mat & tap in & offer this up. But you can do it anywhere - anytime. Sitting at a stop light, cooking dinner, waiting in line - you can take a deep breath, feel your heart open & send love & light out into the world.
You can now find my blog at the Register Citizen: http:http://www.registercitizen.com/blogs/life/
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