Aligning with Grace

Years ago, the book The Untethered Soul , by Michael A. Singer was making the rounds. Everyone I knew in the yoga world was either reading it or quoting it. Yesterday, as I was journaling and reflecting on a manuscript a friend had sent me for review, I had this image of my life and my soul as coming unglued or becoming untethered from its source and its essence.  This past year has been characterized by challenges and difficulties on so many fronts. Personally, the year was punctuated by the loss of several family members and friends, and I reflected on the fragility of life during my Thanksgiving meal prayer. I recalled a year marked by sadness but also by joy. In the end, I chose to focus on the many blessings received throughout the course of the year, thus laying the foundation for even more blessings in the coming year. When we feel untethered it is a reminder that we are simply ungrounded. Events on the political spectrum and our personal lives were just catalysts...

Every year on my birthday there are several rituals and practices I like to do. Over the years, these rituals have changed somewhat. For a number of years I did a yoga Sun Salutation practice for each year of my life, reflecting on the major events of each one. I was always amazed by the long forgotten memories that would spontaneously arise! Yesterday, I did a meditation reflecting on the events of the past year, month by month. It was a meditation taught to me by a friend over a decade ago. The past year had indeed been heavy, with many sad events occurring, but they were balanced with occasions to celebrate as well. I reflected on significant deaths that occurred in my family - including those of friends not much older than I am. But in the early morning, I went down to the river to do a number of practices... Some years it has rained on my birthday. This is a blessing and considered auspicious in Eastern cultures.  Yesterday it was cold, wet, and a little bit f...