One of the first aspects of meditation I was introduced to is that it can be taken anywhere and practiced at any moment. But over my first few months of consistent practice, I developed an increasing aversion to finding new spaces in which to meditate. I had my ideal space at home dedicated to my practice, which felt like enough when I considered...
Read moreGoing in Circles (it’s a good thing)
Nearly six months ago, I began to plan the next chapter in my life: graduate school. The news that I would be a MFA student on the dance performance track at the University of Iowa was new and wonderful! Yet this also meant I would have to leave the grand city of New York that had become my home, my friend (sometimes my enemy!), and my life. We have all experienced the overwhelming feeling of a new journey soon approaching. With thoughts bouncing from one side of the brain to the other, organization becomes extremely hard, and stress tends to set in.
The physical side of yoga can be such a benefit to our bodies and minds, helping us maintain a sense of stability. We can begin to uncover deeper layers of ourselves as we connect body, mind, and spirit into one cohesive being. After my goodbyes in New York, I traveled Europe throughout the month of July. I found it difficult to find time for my practice, asana in particular. There never seemed to be enough space or enough privacy, and I simply lacked motivation on my travels. I found that with the void in my physical practice, I dove further into my meditative practice. Traveling seven hours across Europe on multiple occasions just may have its perks! But as we learned in our training, both our physical and spiritual practice guide us towards a more balanced life – that place right in the middle.
Now as I sit here and reflect on this year, last year, and what the future may hold, I can only smile. It seems to me that a continuous circle of life is drawn for each of us, and I just completed another orbit. The trick becomes how we find the ‘middle path’ along our circle, and even more importantly, understanding that when we stray, it’s okay. Rather than letting ourselves Frogger this way and that continuously throughout our days, the simple (or not so simple) act of allowing our bodies and minds to breathe may just allow us to keep flowing with each moment, in the moment, falling into that middle stream of our circular path.
In B.K.S. Iyengar’s book, Light on Life, he explains that the yogic journey is continuous; that throughout, you will discover layers (kosas) of your being. With patience and persistence in our practice, we can develop our minds and better understand ourselves and our situations in the world, with maybe a little less stress along the way. Whether a major life event has seemingly built a barrier on your yogic journey or not, it’s never a bad idea to dedicate a little bit of time each day to breathe and just be.
- Melanie Swihart
Monday Mantra: Receptivity
“Pranayama is not performed by the power of will. The breath must be enticed or cajoled, like catching a horse in a field, not by chasing after it, but by standing still with an apple in one’s hand. In this way pranayama teaches humility and frees us from greed and hankering after the fruits of our actions. Nothing can be forced; receptivity is everything.” - B.K.S Iyengar
Pranayama (breath awareness and manipulation) is how Iyengar teaches the concept of receptivity, but it does not take much to see how this lesson can extend to various aspects of modern day living. In fact, this is one of the stories from Iyengar’s Light on Life that is easy for me to retrieve from memory. It is memorable because it illuminates a core struggle for so many of us. I see it on the mat with my students, and I see it on the street in the eyes of ambitious New Yorkers. I sense the struggle in myself on a daily basis when I sit down to work.
Willpower seems to fuel so many of our ambitions, dreams, and desires. Setting a goal is one thing. Forcing a path to achieve it is another. We push, we pull, we desire, we sacrifice, we want, and we work really hard. We chase.
This anecdote about catching a horse with an apple in hand is a wonderful reminder for us to also practice being still on our path sometimes. Removing force from our efforts might in turn allow what we are seeking to come to us. We receive.
With big projects looming, I know I need to practice this right now. Perhaps you do too?
- TaraMarie Perri