Living in Grace

Yesterday, I spent the day with one of my dearest friends, who came to visit and to celebrate my birthday a few days early. We enjoyed each others presence, went for a walk, and deeply shared matters of the heart, and of our spiritual practices and respective life journeys. She is a soul friend, and those are always very precious.

I received beautiful gifts from her - a wonderful chakra banner for my yoga studio, with people doing yoga poses inside of each chakra. She also gave me a wonderful T-shirt, with a kayak in the middle, surrounded by the caption, "Take me to the river!" It captured the role and journey the river has played in my life, and I never would have gone to the river initially, had not this dear soul friend brought me to its riverbanks. Somehow, God divinely inspired her to lead me to a place that would figure so prominently in my journey into healing and greater wholeness.

I presented her with gifts of my own, including my latest poetry book, so appropriately titled, A River of Grace. This river would not have become "a river of grace" for me, without this friend's promptings and guidance...

I have marveled time and time again at how our relationships play such pivotal roles in our growth and healing - if only we let them. Every person and every challenge experienced is an invitation for us to grow...

A few days ago, I received a newsletter from BJ Galvan, one of the most heart-oriented, and dedicated Anusara Yoga teachers that I know. Everything she says is always filled with both grace and shakti energy, and a source of deep inspiration to me. I wish to share part of her newsletter, because it touched me profoundly, and I hope to share her gifts and insights with a wider audience:

"Gazing back over the year, I'm humbled in gratitude and awe at the power...of intention and the power of Grace. It is by Grace that I am living the dreams and visions I held in my heart...So many blessings, too many to even choose a highlight!

Every moment has been a profound initiation into the First Principle of Anusara Yoga, 'Open to Grace.' The very nature of traveling and teaching is an invitation into this mystery, it just gets deeper. Everything is unknown, everything is a mystery!

Traveling is a mystery...I never know how the hosts will receive me...Will they be open? Will I be open to them? Can I meet them in a way that I can offer them the teachings of Anusara Yoga? Every single venue has offered me an opportunity to deepen my appreciation of the power of Grace. A constant practice, it is a moment to moment letting go of my ideas of how things should go and be, softening into the present energy, feeling the energy of the space around me...whoever I'm in relationship with at the moment! Every moment is an opportunity to stay anchored into the Source that holds everything. Everything is the first principle.

This year, as always, I count everything as blessings, every thing is a blessing, a gift of Grace. One of the blessings of yoga is developing the capacity to count those blessings that are disguised as challenges. Can you count losing your home, a friend, or an injury a blessing? Those are thresholds into the first principle, invitations to expand through the challenge, by Grace...When in doubt, when all else fails, count your blessings and choose Grace!

Everyone has become a blessing to me, and it is my highest intention and prayer to be a blessing and serve who ever takes the invitation into one Heart!

May the garden in your heart be sown in ways your life overflows with the most radiant field of wildflower dreams!"

Thank you BJ, for YOUR grace, and your beautiful words of wisdom and invitation to enter more fully into the dance of grace.

Just as I was beginning to write this blog, I came across this Tweet:

"Best state to live in? Grace."

May we all live in Grace!

For more information on BJ Galvan, the full text to her remarks, and her schedule:
www.heartcoreyoga.com

Comments

Thank you Olga! I love the 'live in a state of Grace.' The ironic thing is, we ARE in a state of Grace always, just whether we recognize it or not! So many blessings to you, in gratitude and Grace...
Olga Rasmussen said…
So true! Back at ya! Rock the house in South America! Abrazos!

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