Aligning with Grace

Today, I made a very difficult decision... I decided to step away from the Anusara yoga community that I have been a part of. It is painful but it feels right at this time. There are times you need to listen to your soul and your heart... And so today, on Valentine's Day, I choose to be true to mine... And why? Because I asked for a sign - and I received it. And, I am being true to what was given to me... There are many blogs and articles out there about why many teachers are leaving, or have done so. I am not going to go into any allegations. What I will say is, that I have gradually felt pulled to live a more interior life of prayer and meditation, and less asana. I am also spiritually reconnecting with my roots... That being said, I am grateful to John Friend and his teachings over the years for it changed my life and the lives of my students... I am most grateful for the community of souls that I am a part of - I would never have met them otherwise. Our hearts are still one... ...

This is a day that is often celebrated by lovers, but it truly offers all of us an opportunity to give and receive love and embody compassion. I have been reflecting on the Buddhist meditation practices of lovingkindness and tonglen and their relationship to compassion, as I prepare to share these techniques in a meditation short course, and as I also integrate the theme of compassion in my own yoga classes this week. I am in essence, killing two birds with one stone! In the Buddhist and Hindu traditions, the word "karuna" is translated as compassion. Compassion is one of the Brahmaviharas - or four sublime attitudes, along with lovingkindness, joy, and equanimity. These attitudes are described in Buddhist teachings, and also in sutra 1.33 of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Whether we are Buddhist or Hindu, Jewish, Christian or Muslim - I do believe we all recognize the importance of cultivating all of these attitudes and especially embracing, expressing, and embody...