Aligning with Grace

There is a time to live, and a time to die... Parents know that they must provide their children with a strong foundation, education, and values - so that they may eventually leave the nest and flourish on their own... In the last few days I've received so much sad news... A dear friend is helping her father transition... Another awaits the birth of her child, facing complications. And another was just diagnosed with cancer. A dear friend of my family transitioned today... I consider all these occurrences against the back drop of my yoga community and the events that shattered it... What does all this mean? What does it say to me? I am reminded of the fragility of life and the importance of living fully in the present moment... I am reminded that children need roots and wings - much like some of my yoga community's progeny - which are now finding their voices and stepping into their own power... I am reminded that the only constant is change... And, I am reminded of of the famo...

I cannot sleep. And so at dawn I rise and go down to the river... The tumultuous past weeks, in my Anusara yoga community, have taken its toll on so many. I can almost hear the voices of despair, sadness, and anger, and once more I recite the Reiki Precepts, reminding myself to not worry, not to be angry - and to be compassionate for everyone... But in my heart of hearts, here down by this river, I also acknowledge, truly, for the first time, that there is such a diversity of opinions in this torn community, represented by three Facebook pages, that the community that once existed, can never again come together in any sort of configuration. There are too many perspectives that cannot be reconciled. I am saddened by this. But, it is also a call to step into our power, and more fully acknowledge our connection to the Divine... Just as I am about to leave and come home, I spot a magnificent and noble swan on the other side of the river. I have never seen one here... I have a painting ove...

Three weeks ago, a tsunami rocked my Anusara yoga community. This morning, it sort of reminded me of an antique vase shattering after watching an episode of "Downton Abbey" last night. Once it shatters, you can never put the pieces back together again. Like Humpty Dumpty. At least, not in the same way. Not ever. The interesting thing that I've noticed - and many others have as well - is that either we've found our own voices - and all of a sudden feel free to teach with more authenticity, and creativity - and by not judging ourselves against a "checklist." And this is certainly, always a good thing... On various blogs and pages, I read time and time again how many individuals are giving voice to their inner Voices... And this is shared, by teachers who have resigned, and those who haven't - choosing instead to wait and see... So, in the midst of so much chaos - internally and externally - many teachers are feeling more empowered. And again, this is a goo...

The morning is beautiful - warm and yet breezy - birds are singing everywhere - and it is more reminiscent of a day that would normally come about a month later... After my morning meditation, I head down to the river, and step into the waters, it is a baptism of sorts. I intend to cleanse away much of what has consumed my life of late, and instead, begin focusing on beginning anew... Like I did for years at the banks of this river, I take time - to breathe in the fresh air, as my eyes also absorb the broad expanse before me of undulating waves that come towards me - to recite the Reiki Precepts and do Lovingkindness meditation for myself, my Anusara community, for its previous leader, and for those - known and unknown - secretly hurting by all that has transpired... I do my own personal variation of Lovingkindness - the one that served me so well - and nurtured me and guided me out of depression - beginning with myself, and then adding many more to my recitation afterwards: "May ...

"Out there beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field, I will meet you there." ~ Rumi On this day of Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of Lent, I take time to go church, get my ashes and reflect on my own wrongdoing, and ask for forgiveness for so many things. The readings and the homily for some reason, touch me very deeply, perhaps in light of all the recent events in my Anusara yoga community. Yesterday, my entry reflected my initial preparation as I enter this season... It pains me to see so much separation in my community, but I am also heartened to see the flames of unity sparking in the broad expanse of so much divisiveness... I told my students this morning, that this season is about Hope, because it coincides with spring, and Easter - which is symbolic of Resurrection. And spring, never fails to come - no matter what... And I realize, there cannot be any rising without dying... We cannot give birth to something new, without letting go of the old... Thi...

As uncertainty continues to haunt many within my yoga community, on this day, which is Mardi Gras - following Maha Shivaratri , The Great Night of Shiva - I begin to turn my attention to the coming season of Lent ... When I used to teach theology, I used to tell my students that Lent wasn't a time so much for giving up things - like sweets or watching TV - but that it is instead, a time to acquire something. It is a time for interior growth and a time to cultivate a quality you would like to more deeply embody... So today, I take a moment to reflect and prepare, by doing an "Examination of Consciousness," by engaging in a simple practice popularized by St Ignatius of Loyola, and here simplified by Jim Manney , from The Prayer that Changes Everything: The Examination of Consciousness Ask for light. I want to look at my day with God's eyes, not merely my own. Give thanks. The day I have just lived is a gift from God. Be grateful for it. Review the day. I carefully loo...

Amidst so much busyness, I crave the silence and stillness within, that I often find, floating on the river... And as always, messages arrive, from sundry places... "As timely as a river, God's life passes into this world..." ~ Wendell Berry "Silence is the place of reflection and contemplation, and where we can connect with the deep knowing, to the deep wisdom way." ~ Angeles Arriens "Growth takes place in a person by working at a deep inner level in a sustained atmosphere of silence." ~ Dr. Ira Progoff Silence beckons - like the ebb and flow of ocean tides - and the waves of the river - in a constant state of spanda - Divine pulsation - in an infinite expression of the eternal dance between contraction and expansion... My heart and soul are carried by those waves - not knowing where I am going - but very much certain that it takes me where I must go, as it reveals in due time, all that I must know... Like those waves, I too, am infinite, and they rem...