April – the advent of spring.
We want to run around outside
[if only to delight in wearing just one pair of pants!]-
yet we also find ourselves looking inside,
cleaning out our homes, reassessing our inner state.
So we come to yoga; to breathe and practice
among similarly-intentioned others in the community.
We leave class revived- feeling like ourSELVES again,
connected, quiet, aware, listening.
“Is that what satisfies me,
this linking of the individual to the whole?
strange that in this tying together,
the solitary becomes more noticeable.”
~ Maggie Barrett
When we come together to practice,
we find that our own personal experience -
our silence, our breath- becomes more clear and comforting to us.
Which, of course, in perfect Tantric fashion, flips again:
“By tapping into this current within ourselves,
we connect to the ever-expanding energy of the world;
every other person, place, interaction, experience.”
~ Scott Lewicki, rocket scientist (really), certified Anusara teacher, LA, CA
The wisdom of Anusara is based on this understanding,
based on the teachings of the Upanisads
[dating back to 600-300 BC].
“When one has seen and heard one’s Self,
when one has reflected and concentrated in one’s Self,
one knows this whole world.”
Brhadranyaka Upanisad, chapter 4, verse 5.
We come together to study, practice and see ourselves:
in breathing, pausing, observing ourselves,
We begin to understand more about the world.
***
To apply this usefully, realistically to your life:
choose one currently confusing/distressing situation.
Can you speak less, breathe more, watch yourself more?
In so doing, what you learn about YOU
*your own (often hilarious) visceral reactions/tendencies*
may help you to understand more about the whole situation.
watch.
***
And enjoy the warmth of April.
Elena, Lynn and the staff of Virayoga
