Gratitude, Blessings, and Inner Spiral


Inner Spiral is the third of the Anusara Yoga Universal Principles of Alignment. You create an opening and widening in the body by taking the femur bones in, back, and apart.

I thought of how "Opening to Grace," the First Principle - creates the initial opening in the body. Then with the Second Principle - "Muscular Energy" - we hug into that sweetness.

I then realized how working with Inner Spiral would create a greater opening for blessings and gratitude to flow into our lives - which is my theme for the week. The practice itself, is an opportunity to embody gratitude and count one's many blessings in life.

As I reflected on my syllabus and practiced it several times, I received insights as to how to do some self assists to embody the action of Inner Spiral. I was excited as I allowed my body to slowly soak in the subtle, but wonderful experiences these assists provided...

I ended my classes with the song, "Prayer 2000" by Eliza Gilkyson, from her 1997 album, "Redemption Road." It is a beautiful piece my own teacher played one Thanksgiving in her classes. This song truly exemplifies gratitude, and it has brought me great solace these many months, reminding me of all the goodness and rich experiences that life has to offer.

From Gilkyson's web site:

"'Redemption Road'...is the story of a woman's odyssey through love, disillusionment, and self-reflection to find her voice. 'I was working with the concept of redemption on this recording, not in the religious sense, but more on the personal level.'"

Here are the lyrics to "Prayer 2000". May it elicit many reasons for you to count your blessings!

Thank you for the sun
Thank you for the full moon
Thank you for my true love's face
And our lives and love consumed.

Thank you for the stars
A home along the river
Thank you for the ancient groves
And the fishes brown and silver

Ponies running wild
Grass enough for grazing
Water flowing clean and pure
All the beauty that saved me

Thank you for the dawn
Oceans rise and falling
Children born to carry on
And the end that's always calling

Thank you for the songs
Thank you for all my good laughs
All the things that don't go wrong
And the hopes that don't give up

Thank you for my tears
Loved ones who forgave me
Thank you for my darkest years
All the sorrow that made me

Thank you for my tears
Loved ones who forgave me
Thank you for my darkest years
All the sorrow that made me
And the beauty that saved me

To hear or purchase this beautiful song, go to this link:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/gilkyson1

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rumi - "The Lord is in Me" and "Love Said to Me"

I was sent a couple of poems by Rumi recently, and I wish to share them here. May you find inspiration in them for a glorious weekend! The Lord is in Me The Lord is in me, and the Lord is in you, As life is hidden in every seed. So rubble your pride, my friend, And look for Him within you. When I sit in the heart of His world A million suns blaze with light, A burning blue sea spreads across the sky, Life's turmoil falls quiet, All the stains of suffering wash away. Listen to the unstruck bells and drums! Love is here; plunge into its rapture! Rains pour down without water; Rivers are streams of light. How could I ever express How blessed I feel To revel in such vast ecstasy In my own body? This is the music Of soul and soul meeting. Of the forgetting of all grief. This is the music That transcends all coming and going. Love Said to Me I worship the moon. Tell me of the soft glow of a candle light and the sweetness of my moon. Don't talk about sorrow, tell me of that treasure...
Read more

Upside Down Siva and Ultimate Freedom

Image
While I was in Denver last month, on Thursday May 7th, the day of the week in which the Guru and teachers are traditionally honored, I was drawn to buy a "murti" (sacred statue) of Siva doing a one-handed handstand. I bought this statue the very morning I was to demo this pose, unbeknowst to me... The murti of Siva is now on my desk in front of me, where it is constantly in my peripheral vision, every time I sit at my computer. It is also to the left of the meditation alcove I built into a closet. I was drawn to this piece from the first moment I laid eyes on it, and so after receiving it in the mail, I wrote to Dr. Manoj Challam, from whom I purchased it, asking him to give me more insight into the meaning of this representation of Siva. A primary focus of the week that Anusara Yoga teachers gathered in Denver was the study of the Siva Sutras with Dr. Paul Muller Ortega, a pre-eminent Siva scholar. I have always been very drawn to Siva , and this particular murti was so ...
Read more

A Christmas Poem

Last year, I wrote this poem. These were my wishes then, and they are my wishes once again this year, and every year - for you - for me - for all of us! And so, here it is, one more time... This Christmas… Love. Love totally and completely. Love without restraint. Love with total abandon. Forgive. Forgive everything. Forgive every ancient grudge. Forgive the Unforgiveable. Hope. Hope for a better world. Hope for Peace, and an end to strife. Give Hope to all in despair. Dream. Dream the Impossible Dream. Feed your Dream and Give it Life. Make it real. Believe. Believe in the Seen. Believe in the Unseen. Believe in the Power of Miracles. Live. Live fully and Live deeply. Live with Great Passion. Live Each moment, as if your last. Touch. Embrace a loved one. And a lost one. Embrace them again. Hold a hurting hand and heart. Feel. Feel everything. Fee...
Read more