I am feeling extra aware of how, and why, we come to practise yoga….
a life climax point where we break,
simply have more free time
curiosity
to balance other physical/sedentary practises
to manage ourselves better through life’s demands
seek spiritual & communal connection/enlightment
all of these
I have been through all of these in varying loops and probably will continue to do so…
It is tempting to see one way as the absolute solution, and, in counter, to avoid consistency for enough time to reap some understanding - both have intrigued me as my life develops. The responsibility of taking all of you on a journey with me has also felt overwhelming at times; as though I should not have offered teaching until I had the absolute truth. Of course, this will never be possible! “In all the years I’ve been doing spiritual practices, I haven’t gotten rid of one of my neuroses!”
(Ram Dass, Here & Now Podcast, Ep.231, 19:29) How reassuring and liberating!….Ram Dass describes a ‘perceptual shift’ into accepting our ongoing struggles as some cute, yet aggravating little beings that just are there to be tolerated over a cuppa, rather than something we find all consuming of better serving actions. Ram Dass goes on to talk about the journey of your life, and how to treat decisions a little more lightly….he offers a tale of Mahatma Gandhi leading a large protest march, on which he decides it is time to end (early?) after one week. A follower suggests he shouldn’t stop, as so many have left their work/homes to follow him. In response, Gandhi is quoted as saying something like; “God is absolute truth, I am only a human, I only know relative truth, my understanding of truth changes from day to day, my commitment must be to truth, not to consistency.” Ram Dass further reflects on how we can’t predict who we will become…I love this! We take a route, we find it healthy or destructive, we try another which is healing, and then perhaps something else is offered when we need a change and/or are ready for a new challenge…I hope this helps you, as it has helped me :) I am practising yoga and will share with you all when I can - get in touch for upcoming events ...I continue to value your energy and time, thank you x
🙏NAMASTE🙏 With love, x Emily x