Saturday Hatha Yoga Class, December 27, 2014.
I recently received an email from one of my teachers (http://www.sallykempton.com/) inviting us to reflect on the lessons learned from this year. In class I invited everyone to take a moment to review the events of 2014 and ask: What did I learn? What mistakes did I make? What inspired me?
At the end of the year, it's helpful to review the year and if things occurred that were negative or unpleasant, to offer those into the fire of our understanding and dissolve those karmas (karma is the law of moral causation. Eg., "As you sow, so shall you reap.").
After contemplating the lessons learned from 2014, we can look ahead to the new year of 2015 and what it has in store for us. I read a passage from Sadhana of the Heart (SYDA Foundation, 2006), a collection of new year's messages by my teacher, Swami Chidvilasananda (Gurumayi) (pages 47-48, 52). In that passage, Gurumayi tells us that our being here on this planet, living this life, is a matter of conscious choice. Recognizing that it is a choice we have made, to summon forth all our power of our inner courage and live the life of our dreams. Gurumayi asks the question: "What is courage?" She answers that having courage means being able to rise to meet the demands of any situation.
The hero Rama is shown in the large picture at the center of the East End studio. Rama is a Prince of the kingdom of Ayodha. Rama, his brother Lakshmana, and his wife Sita are exiled into the wilderness in order to fulfill a promise made by the king of Ayodha to one of his three queens. Though the promise was rashly and thoughtlessly made, Rama vows to fulfill it to uphold his father's honor. While in the forest, they make an enemy of Ravana, the sinister and powerful king of Sri Lanka. While Rama and Lakshmana are away, Ravana kidnaps Sita and carries her off to his kingdom. Rama and Lakshmana return and find she is gone. For a moment, Rama loses his composure in grief and despair. He first he angrily blames Lakshmana and then throws himself to the ground in despair over his failure to protect her.
Lakshmana then says, "How often, my brother, have you counseled me in my grief and despair? Let us find out who our enemy is and deal with him. If we have lost a precious thing, let us work for its recovery. Be brave, be hopeful. We shall succeed." Rama regains his composure and natural courage and they set off in search of Sita.
When we work with challenging postures on our mat, it teaches us how to handle challenging situations off our mat. This is our lesson - to understand that this life is not an accident - it is our choice to be here, in this life, to face the challenges we face. We are not leaves blown about helplessly by the wind - we are yogis and we make a conscious and objective choice on how to respond to any situation. Perhaps like Rama, we might lose our marbles for a moment. But only for a moment.
I recently received an email from one of my teachers (http://www.sallykempton.com/) inviting us to reflect on the lessons learned from this year. In class I invited everyone to take a moment to review the events of 2014 and ask: What did I learn? What mistakes did I make? What inspired me?
At the end of the year, it's helpful to review the year and if things occurred that were negative or unpleasant, to offer those into the fire of our understanding and dissolve those karmas (karma is the law of moral causation. Eg., "As you sow, so shall you reap.").
After contemplating the lessons learned from 2014, we can look ahead to the new year of 2015 and what it has in store for us. I read a passage from Sadhana of the Heart (SYDA Foundation, 2006), a collection of new year's messages by my teacher, Swami Chidvilasananda (Gurumayi) (pages 47-48, 52). In that passage, Gurumayi tells us that our being here on this planet, living this life, is a matter of conscious choice. Recognizing that it is a choice we have made, to summon forth all our power of our inner courage and live the life of our dreams. Gurumayi asks the question: "What is courage?" She answers that having courage means being able to rise to meet the demands of any situation.
The hero Rama is shown in the large picture at the center of the East End studio. Rama is a Prince of the kingdom of Ayodha. Rama, his brother Lakshmana, and his wife Sita are exiled into the wilderness in order to fulfill a promise made by the king of Ayodha to one of his three queens. Though the promise was rashly and thoughtlessly made, Rama vows to fulfill it to uphold his father's honor. While in the forest, they make an enemy of Ravana, the sinister and powerful king of Sri Lanka. While Rama and Lakshmana are away, Ravana kidnaps Sita and carries her off to his kingdom. Rama and Lakshmana return and find she is gone. For a moment, Rama loses his composure in grief and despair. He first he angrily blames Lakshmana and then throws himself to the ground in despair over his failure to protect her.
Lakshmana then says, "How often, my brother, have you counseled me in my grief and despair? Let us find out who our enemy is and deal with him. If we have lost a precious thing, let us work for its recovery. Be brave, be hopeful. We shall succeed." Rama regains his composure and natural courage and they set off in search of Sita.
When we work with challenging postures on our mat, it teaches us how to handle challenging situations off our mat. This is our lesson - to understand that this life is not an accident - it is our choice to be here, in this life, to face the challenges we face. We are not leaves blown about helplessly by the wind - we are yogis and we make a conscious and objective choice on how to respond to any situation. Perhaps like Rama, we might lose our marbles for a moment. But only for a moment.
