A First Snowfall and Seeking Your own Wizard
I arise on a day that will be filled with training in anatomy specifically geared for Anusara Yoga teachers, and feel joyous at the fact that the first snow fall of the season is softly coming down...
I rush down to the river, and walk down to where the water meets the pavement on the boat launch so wishing I could come inside this river that has so sustained me. It is gray and beautiful, and my yearning for communion with the river is almost overwhelming. It has been too long since I have paddled in these waters, but today, I must work my way to the other side of the river and meet many friends for the first of a two day intensive in anatomy training and how it specifically relates to Anusara Yoga and the Universal Principles of Alignment...
Still, it is peaceful here, and I wish I could stay a little longer, but with the weather being what it is, I expect the traffic to be slow...
Last night, Martin Kirk, an Anusara Yoga Certified Teacher, and a very enthusiastic one at that, initiated the training weekend with a beautifully led and instructed practice. As a teacher, I love to listen to - and embody the instructions of other fellow teachers - often gleaning greater insight into an action or clarity in my understanding.
Martin's chosen theme for the practice was "Finding your own personal wizard," and it was derived from the story of the Wizard of Oz. As every good Anusara teacher and student knows - a theme and its integration into a class plan or practice is an essential ingredient!
Martin re-told the well known story of the Wizard of Oz in a very magical way and showed us how the characters of the Lion, the Tin Man and the Scare Crow - were in essence the embodiments of the mind, the heart, and the body - and he illustrated how Dorothy was essentially trying to integrate all of three of these aspects in her life, as she journeyed on the Yellow Brick Road.
Dorothy's story is really at its core, very Tantric, because it teaches that what we are really seeking is already inside of us. Even the "Good Witch" tells Dorothy that she had to undertake her own journey of self-discovery to find this out for herself. Dorothy would not have believed it otherwise.
Martin went on to share that "shradda" - a Sanskrit word for faith - is really about a kind of faith that comes to us from our own experience. And connecting this to his theme, Martin showed how the process of finding your own wizard is really about finding that beauty and power within yourself. A great wizard sees the power and beauty that is already in you - and then hands it back to you.
Martin concluded by affirming that what we seek is under the rainbow - not over the rainbow...What seek is already in our hearts, and minds, and bodies. What we seek is always within.
I hope to share more about the training in the future!
I rush down to the river, and walk down to where the water meets the pavement on the boat launch so wishing I could come inside this river that has so sustained me. It is gray and beautiful, and my yearning for communion with the river is almost overwhelming. It has been too long since I have paddled in these waters, but today, I must work my way to the other side of the river and meet many friends for the first of a two day intensive in anatomy training and how it specifically relates to Anusara Yoga and the Universal Principles of Alignment...
Still, it is peaceful here, and I wish I could stay a little longer, but with the weather being what it is, I expect the traffic to be slow...
Last night, Martin Kirk, an Anusara Yoga Certified Teacher, and a very enthusiastic one at that, initiated the training weekend with a beautifully led and instructed practice. As a teacher, I love to listen to - and embody the instructions of other fellow teachers - often gleaning greater insight into an action or clarity in my understanding.
Martin's chosen theme for the practice was "Finding your own personal wizard," and it was derived from the story of the Wizard of Oz. As every good Anusara teacher and student knows - a theme and its integration into a class plan or practice is an essential ingredient!
Martin re-told the well known story of the Wizard of Oz in a very magical way and showed us how the characters of the Lion, the Tin Man and the Scare Crow - were in essence the embodiments of the mind, the heart, and the body - and he illustrated how Dorothy was essentially trying to integrate all of three of these aspects in her life, as she journeyed on the Yellow Brick Road.
Dorothy's story is really at its core, very Tantric, because it teaches that what we are really seeking is already inside of us. Even the "Good Witch" tells Dorothy that she had to undertake her own journey of self-discovery to find this out for herself. Dorothy would not have believed it otherwise.
Martin went on to share that "shradda" - a Sanskrit word for faith - is really about a kind of faith that comes to us from our own experience. And connecting this to his theme, Martin showed how the process of finding your own wizard is really about finding that beauty and power within yourself. A great wizard sees the power and beauty that is already in you - and then hands it back to you.
Martin concluded by affirming that what we seek is under the rainbow - not over the rainbow...What seek is already in our hearts, and minds, and bodies. What we seek is always within.
I hope to share more about the training in the future!
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