Let go of something, somewhere. Use yoga to become aware, to touch what lied beneath the surface of the skin. Is there tension longing for release; a knot of fear so deep and familiar that you believe it's part of who you are? Ease into dark corners, locked rooms, unexplored hallways. Gain entry not by force of will but only by softness. Enter on the wings of breath, and turn the key of self-acceptance to let go of something, somewhere. (Danna Faulds)
Hello all - this week's reading:
Let go of something, somewhere. Use yoga to become aware, to touch what lied beneath the surface of the skin. Is there tension longing for release; a knot of fear so deep and familiar that you believe it's part of who you are? Ease into dark corners, locked rooms, unexplored hallways. Gain entry not by force of will but only by softness. Enter on the wings of breath, and turn the key of self-acceptance to let go of something, somewhere. (Danna Faulds) Greetings for a week full of opportunities to pause all our "doings" for moments of Be-ing and loving. The week's reading continues in that vein with the gorgeous work of Danna Faulds.
"Who you are is so much more than what you do. The essence, shining through the heart, soul and center, the bare and bold truth of you does not lie in your to-do list. You are not just at the surface of your skin...not just boundless energy or bone wearying fatigue. Delve deeper. You are divinity; the vast and open sky of spirit....the ember at your core, the passion and the presence, the timeless, deathless essence of you that reaches out and touches [another]. Who you are transcends fear and turns suffering into liberation. Who you are is love." If you're in class, I have likely edited this piece for religious language since that doesn't fit for some, for example "Life" or "Lifeforce" instead of "divinity" or "Spirit". When reading, I also often change "you" to "we", in the sense we're all in this human experience together. The intention to actually experience that in us which is essential and deeper than the surface "doings" is the key yogic teaching. The question is not just how we are with ourselves on our mats, but how we move back out in to the world with the resonance of a loving practice flavouring our interactions with ourselves and the world. Wednesday and Sunday class homework is attending to the felt sense of the centre chest - what we might call the heart space - can you soften/widen/open this space in all directions? Practice breathing into this space and then out to every nook and cranny of the body/mind Welcome, all - This week's reading is an excerpt from the inimitable Danna Faulds: "A door opens. Maybe I've been standing here shuffling my weight from foot to foot for decades, or maybe I only knocked once. In truth, it doesn't matter. A door opens and I walk through without a backward glance. This is it then, one moment of truth in a lifetime of truth; a choice made, a path taken, the gravitational pull of Spirit too compelling to ignore any longer. I am received by something far too vast to see...'Be." the vasteness says...without adverbs, descriptors or qualities...so alive that awareness bares itself uncloaked and unadorned. Then go forth to give what you alone can give, awake to love and suffering, unburdened by the weight of expectations. Go forth and be seen, blossoming, always blossoming into your magnificience." I encourage you to look further into Danna's amazing work (she has a number of published books). Wednesday and Sunday class homework for hatha folks: play with plank at the wall - keep it light and playful - how can the torso remain as a functional unit while tipping towards the wall (not letting shoulders, ribs or belly collapse? what supports you, and how is breath involved in assisting? For nidra - continue to explore the felt sense difference between centred and uncentred, whatever your 'prefererred' version is ;-)
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AuthorMisha Butot RCSW, ERYT 500 is a longtime clinical social worker and senior yoga teacher living in Victoria, BC Archives
March 2024
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