What Yoga Means to Me (Insights by Seane Corn)

Love comes in so many different ways. It is always, truly, a season for love - for giving love - and for receiving it as well. Sometimes it arrives in ways most unexpected and touches us very deeply...Sometimes we meet the right person and the whole course of our lives dramatically shifts and we set forth to sail in a very different direction than the one we had originally anticipated...

Last night I stayed up late watching the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, which I found both inspirational and moving. As someone who has lived in Canada and has many Canadian friends, I feel a close connection with this country of very kind, civil, caring, and talented people. They have a lot to teach the world about their attitudes, outlook, and graceful ways of simply being in this world...

This morning, I was also moved by a few things I received in my in box, but most particularly by an essay written by the incomparable yogini Seane Corn, on what yoga means to her. This is a woman who is making a difference in the world. I had the pleasure of studying with her some years ago, and I was profoundly affected by the experience in a very life-changing way. Seane can definitely rock your world and challenge you in ways that will alter your perspective and practice. As I read her essay, I found that she truly captured the essence of the practice - why we dedicate ourselves to it - and how we are genuinely transformed by it over time - if we are willing to truly embrace it as a spiritual practice.

Here are some highlights from her essay:

"Yoga means to unite. Its translation is 'to come together and make whole.' It asserts that everything and everyone is connected...that there is no separation between the mind and body...Your body remembers everything...When you don't feel well...you can withdraw...It is through yoga, spiritual practice and emotional processing skills that you are provided tools to help you understand and embrace your circumstances, emotions, and live in a more holistic way...

Yoga has taught me that you are in a conscious body to learn what love is...God-love, which is inclusive and infinite...Yoga teaches you that everything that happens to you in this life happens perfectly...in order for the soul to transform and understand this level of God-love...

It has taught me that adopting a spiritual life doesn't mean I will be exempt from pain or loss. You will all get hurt, your hearts will be broken...that's life. All your experiences can provide invaluable opportunities for growth if you stay open to seeing from a new perspective...Some of the lessons will be elegant; some will bring you to your knees in devastation. They will all be necessary.

To learn these lessons...unique teachers will show up along the way to hold a mirror up to expose your shadow or wounds. Healing cannot occur without their inclusion in your life...Through them, you will be given the opportunity to forgive and be forgiven [and] you can remember that the God that is within is within all...

Yoga teaches us that if any one of us buys into the myth of separation or disconnection, then we are part of the problem. If we want to change what is happening within our planet and create an environment for peace, we must first transform ourselves...

Breathe and all will be revealed, love and all will be healed. That is yoga."

The whole essay is worth reading. I invite you to read it in its entirety, and reflect on it. Every sentence, every paragraph, contains a vast ocean of insights, each deserving to be fully meditated on during this season of love...

To read the whole essay, visit:
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/What-Yoga-Means-to-Me-Seane-Corn

To visit Sean Corn's website:
www.seanecorn.com

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