Aligning with Grace in the River


Today I went and bought a seasonal pass for the river so I won't have to pay the launch fee every time I go into the water. Wanting to get my money's worth, I headed out to put Grace in the water this afternoon. Besides, Hurricane Hannah is supposed to make landfall and come through the area tomorrow, and it may be some days before I get a chance to get back in.

Earlier in the day, I spoke to a yogini friend who was inspired to go out and buy a kayak herself. She too, lives near Algonkian Park where I access the Potomac River. Buying a kayak was something my friend had wanted to do for a long time.

I recently ordered bumper stickers and a hat embossed with my web site's logo - "Aligning with Grace." My husband laughed and said - "You are really getting into this marketing thing!" I placed one of the bumper stickers on my car, and another right on Grace's front deck as a reminder that my time on the river is more than just a sport - it is a meditative practice and an invitation to align with grace.

This week, as I taught yoga in my new studio to students brand new to the discipline of yoga - I introduced them to the First Anusara Yoga Universal Principle of Alignment - "Opening to Grace," which I have written about extensively on this blog.

As I explained this principle to my new students, I had them connect it to their experience of the breath. I invited them to consciously bring their awareness to their inhalations and exhalations - and thus open to the life force within them - and to invite this life force - prana - to animate not only their bodies - but their very souls and lives as well.

As a result, I found myself reflecting on the beauty of this principle and of living in and with grace.

This beautiful quote from John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga is a wonderful explanation of grace:

"Know that grace has the power to transform everything you aspire to.
So aspire to the highest, and offer yourself to that grace.
Grace will hold you every step of the way.
Anusara is a path of grace."

These thoughts held my heart and soul captive on the water...

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