Kula and Sangha
Yesterday morning as we concluded the week long gathering of Anusara Yoga teachers, we were urged to anchor the light and to go back and re-new the vision of what if means for us to be teachers of this method and members of this community.
In order to understand what it is that unites us - we need to constantly reconnect with the Universal - with the Supreme - with the Divine. It is only in this way that we will truly anchor the Shakti energy for ourselves and for others.
One line of the Anusara Yoga Invocation which I discussed in a blog entry in December reads:
"Saccidananda Murtaye" - in other words we embody truth, consciousness and bliss - and we in essence become "murtis" - like the statues of Hindu deities that are living representation of the Divine itself.
As teachers of Anusara Yoga, we were reminded that we need to continue to evolve and grow and become brighter lights within the community. It is imperative that we do our practice - not only our asanas or physical poses - but our meditation practice as well. There was a lot of emphasis on this. From this place we are then able to serve our broader community more fully.
As teachers, we are members of a "kula" - an intimate family - and we are entrusted with holding a cohesive and high vibratory consciousness and single vision that continues to expand for the good of the planet. As a group, we gather together to commit our very life force for a new vision and to help others awaken and heal and delight in the practice.
A "kula" is a spiritual family and as such we hold to an ideal and protect the boundaries of that space for attainment to occur. The "kula" provides spiritual leadership for the broader Anusara community.
This larger community of several hundred thousands is the "sangha," which commits to the practice at varying levels. As teachers - we were all acutely aware of our responsibilities toward protecting the teachings we have been entrusted with - as well as protecting each other. We knew we were also committing to taking everything to the next step and living from a place of greater authenticity and integrity.
As Paul so beautifully reminded us - we need to be popping - like pop corn - with excitement all the time in terms of our core beliefs. We must embody our core beliefs - which at its very essence asserts that we are supreme consciousness and unbounded freedom. This encourages to become our best self - as we aspire to live, articulate, and become the most intelligent and loving human beings. Only then can we truly enable our own students to see that they are the embodiment of beauty itself.
There is so much to drink in and savor from this week. As one teacher shared before I had to leave for the airport:
"We are the matrika for our students. As such - we don't just know and share the spiritual teachings of our practice with our students - but we convey the whole power of the kula."
What an incredibly awesome responsibility and what a wonderful gift to receive and give - and pass on for generations to come!
Namaste!
In order to understand what it is that unites us - we need to constantly reconnect with the Universal - with the Supreme - with the Divine. It is only in this way that we will truly anchor the Shakti energy for ourselves and for others.
One line of the Anusara Yoga Invocation which I discussed in a blog entry in December reads:
"Saccidananda Murtaye" - in other words we embody truth, consciousness and bliss - and we in essence become "murtis" - like the statues of Hindu deities that are living representation of the Divine itself.
As teachers of Anusara Yoga, we were reminded that we need to continue to evolve and grow and become brighter lights within the community. It is imperative that we do our practice - not only our asanas or physical poses - but our meditation practice as well. There was a lot of emphasis on this. From this place we are then able to serve our broader community more fully.
As teachers, we are members of a "kula" - an intimate family - and we are entrusted with holding a cohesive and high vibratory consciousness and single vision that continues to expand for the good of the planet. As a group, we gather together to commit our very life force for a new vision and to help others awaken and heal and delight in the practice.
A "kula" is a spiritual family and as such we hold to an ideal and protect the boundaries of that space for attainment to occur. The "kula" provides spiritual leadership for the broader Anusara community.
This larger community of several hundred thousands is the "sangha," which commits to the practice at varying levels. As teachers - we were all acutely aware of our responsibilities toward protecting the teachings we have been entrusted with - as well as protecting each other. We knew we were also committing to taking everything to the next step and living from a place of greater authenticity and integrity.
As Paul so beautifully reminded us - we need to be popping - like pop corn - with excitement all the time in terms of our core beliefs. We must embody our core beliefs - which at its very essence asserts that we are supreme consciousness and unbounded freedom. This encourages to become our best self - as we aspire to live, articulate, and become the most intelligent and loving human beings. Only then can we truly enable our own students to see that they are the embodiment of beauty itself.
There is so much to drink in and savor from this week. As one teacher shared before I had to leave for the airport:
"We are the matrika for our students. As such - we don't just know and share the spiritual teachings of our practice with our students - but we convey the whole power of the kula."
What an incredibly awesome responsibility and what a wonderful gift to receive and give - and pass on for generations to come!
Namaste!
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