From Kripalu teacher Stephen Cope: Through practice I've come to see that the deepest source of my misery is not wanting things to be the way they are. Not wanting myself to be the way I am. Not wanting the world to be the way it is. Not wanting others to be the way they are. Whenever I'm suffering, I find this war with reality to be at the heart of the problem.
This is not a passive path but an intelligent way forward. If I am experiencing pain, I must meet it, hold it kindly, respect it, notice if there are contributing factors I have missed...before I can know when to protect, when to stretch, and when and where to gently challenge in order to heal. Similarly, as we deal with the deep systemic inequities in the way society has been constructed, we must be willing to acknowledge and feel the pain of the current situation - and our complicity in its maintenance - in order for any healing shift to occur.