Simple joys
Simple Joy with us for the rest of the year
Yoga primes each of us for a more expansive ability to perceive the multitude of possibilities in each moment. Despite the complete and utter gravity of the pressing thoughts and feelings that may be occupying our minds and hearts, reality is subject to change, and Yogic capacities nudge the needle in the healing direction.
We shall not ignore our accumulated identities, in Yoga. In order to benefit from Yoga, we have to admit something feels off inside, strugglesome, misaaligned, and that we are ready to do life differently, and actually must, in order to turn over a new leaf. Suffering is so all encompassing that we generally miss opportunities to sever our ties to it. Duhkha samyoga viyoga yogah, it is said. Healing is disconnecting to the extreme attachment we have to suffering. And we can’t just cut or sever. We’ll explore alternatives.
These couple of weeks were beyond emotionally exhausting and challenging. Life dealt me unwelcomed news and circumstances that elevated my klesa-s to udārā. I cried a lot more than I smiled (thank you to all who are supporting us as we navigate this). Also, one night, my house was suddenly without hot water, the next night without heat, and my car’s lights flashed low oil, antifreeze and tire pressure on three consecutive, freezing mornings, on the way to work. And the entire family was recovering from flu. Still, a few precious moments of smiles and connection and revelation were also there, in the midst of lots of knots. Simple joys nurtured me through concurrent, complicated griefs.
Daily practice. Prioritizing smooth breathing. Practicing presence. Self-regulation. Calming down. Focusing. Visualizing health, healing. Letting go. Directing prana. Loosening up. Strengthening. Staying with yourself. Once we practice these every day with faith for an extended, uninterrupted period, something happens. We become ourselves. The selves beneath the suffering, the fear, the disappointment, self-judgement, anxiety, doubt and ignorance. Momentarily, I am myself. You are yourself. We abide in a deeper, all pervasive reality that doesn’t permanently collapse because our foundations may be crumbling. We receive a gift in the midst of suffering, because we’ve practiced. We see glimpses of light, sensing life outside of our confines, during practice, and therefore during life.
My second time in India is the first time I learned about a particular genre of Indian gift, the prasadam. I had sworn myself off sugar completely for years. At the KYM, for a Krishnamacharya celebration, there were a ton of sweets in the ceremony’s central area, and all the teachers were chanting, for a long time. Once the ceremony finished, the sweets were passed along to each of us. I righteously declined, to which a teacher said, “take it, it’s prasadam.” I held it. And another teacher, “Eat it, it’s prasadam.” I ate it. And I damn near toppled out of the rickshaw, drunk on sugar. Yet, full of the essence of the divine, as the mantra and ritualistic vibrations entered the ladoos, and thereafter, us. Prasadam is a gift, rendered holy via rituals to charge them up with good energy to appease and honor the God.
Patanjali’s metaphor of the gift rings true, particularly at this time of year, as we engage with our crews, chosen and family. When we choose to appropriately relate to the people around us, according to our svadharma-s and their fluxing, presenting qualities, our mind becomes like a prasadam. Just as the ball of ghee, sugar, saffron and flour became purified and nourishing to the soul through ritual, our mind, purified through practice, seeing clearly and relating accordingly, presents as a gift. In the midst of the season of giving, a mind rendered present and clear is the best gift for ourselves, loved ones, and challenging ones.
Pranayama classes, Lighten the Mental Load, Chair Yoga and the Ayurveda presentation all establish you in self soothing practices to hold you through this season and the rest of the year.