Aligning with Grace

In keeping with this season of love, of waiting, of giving, of preparation, of hope, of serenity, of solitiude - of silence, and peace - I offer you the humble gift of my writing. Please feel free to share these with friends as well! I have posted PDF files of three manuscripts on my website: A poetry book I write every year and give away to loved ones during this time, titled In the Sanctuary of the Beloved. Another book - The River Speaks - which documents my budding relationship to the river and the gifts it brought into my life through the selection of blogs that addressed my experiences. And finally, Aligning With Grace , the entire collection of these blogs for the first year. This volume might be mined by yoga teachers for class themes - or serve as inspiration for those on the journey. You can download these books directly from my web site: www.aligningwithgrace.com/books.html If you would prefer a 6 x 9 paperback edition of these works with glossy covers, they are being offer...

Yesterday, after I came back from the river, I almost added an addendum to my posting, but I decided to let it remain as it is... I had some insights after coming back from the river at dusk and going for a walk in the early evening. I revisited these insights again with the student who faithfully comes to me for a weekly private lesson - before she showed me a beautiful warm up sequence she had devised, and which we fine-tuned by working more deeply with the breath in tandem with applying the Anusara Yoga Universal Principle of Alignment in a way that was more focused and emphasized greater awareness and mindfulness. I shared with my student my first reaction when I realized my practice would have to change over the next two months. I was obviously not happy and wanted to feel sorry for myself. But then, as I walked in the early winter evening yesterday, I thought of Matthew Sanford - the gifted yoga teacher who began his yoga practice as a paraplegic. At first, his practice consiste...

I find a moment to steal away to the river less than an hour before dusk. My heart has wanted to come here all day, to ponder and reflect... It is cold and a bit windy, and I sit by the rocks in my boots before I wade in by the launch site... I want to go into the water and feel the comfort and familiarity of the river's embrace - but it is not meant to be today. But just sitting by its banks for a few moments is enough. I am able to sit - and just simply breathe... I breathe in the air - I breathe in prana - I breathe in the very essence and spirit of God... I reflect on unexpected news received yesterday that will alter how I practice for the next two months, eliminating even some of the most basic poses. For the first time I have to experience letting go of all that I had taken for granted - the most mundane and fundamental poses. Yet this is nothing in comparison to other news I receive on this day, of a dear friend and musician suffering a major stroke... I wake up and decide ...

I had not been able to get back into the water since last Thursday. which was Thanksgiving Day. So this morning I decided, that whatever the conditions, I was going in. The sky looked good, even though rain was in the forecast... From the moment my paddle first dipped into the water, it felt as effortless as dipping a spoon into a cup of tea. Grace and I pushed away very easily from the launch area and immediately fell into a cadence that felt sacred in its rhythm... The water was dark and murky, and it made me think of the prayer by Thomas Merton I wrote about yesterday - about not being able to see the road ahead, and I thought of that prayer's relevance in my life this year... I had no agenda or time frame, save to do a brief meditation somewhere inside this river's sweet embrace... I paddled upstream and was immediately captivated by the joyous singing of two birds, delicately singing their sweet songs, like two sopranos. It took me back to my days of choral singing, when...

Yesterday, I received two emails from a dear student and friend. The first one contained a letter written by God, and this dear person thought of me. Reading it, was like receiving a personal message, though I am sure many of us will relate to it as well: "To: You Hold fast to your beliefs. When faced with painful challenges, know the truth of what you profess to believe. Know that these challenges are periods of transition, nothing more. Watch a butterfly as it emerges from its chrysalis. It appears to be struggling mightily but this struggle is nothing more than the completion of its metamorphosis - the final stage in its unfoldment in beauty. Look with the eyes of detachment at your challenges, know that they are there to serve you and unleash your greatness. This day, behold struggles as the final stages of your emergence into the next level of your awakening. That is all they are, nothing more. Love, God" And the second email, where we had been discussing walking labyrin...

I arise before dawn and begin my morning meditation in the dark. Shortly afterwards, I am at the river... I come here, a year to the day after I came and went home and began this blog - without any planning or knowledge that I would do so, following a Divine imperative... Today it is cold, and there is frost on the ground. It feels crunchy underneath my feet and for some reason, I think of C.S. Lewis' book - Voyage of the Dawn Treader... There are squirrels scurrying all about - perhaps looking for the elusive acorns that are nowhere to be found this year. I wonder how they will fare, and if many will starve... The river is as still as I have seen it - there is not one discernible ripple or current, and I imagine what it would be like to come inside and feel its embrace... I reflect on this Advent reading as I sit on my favorite rock, about a footprint from the water: "The stones I pick up at the shore of the sea never cease to amaze me. How were their shapes before the waves ...

This morning, I used the theme of coming into greater balance in our lives as we enter either the Advent Season leading up to Christmas - or prepare to celebrate Hanukkah . Both of these celebratory events create the sense of anticipation in the hearts of young and old alike. Unfortunately, we get so wrapped up in the commercialism of this time of year - that we often forget the true significance and meaning of these celebrations. What we need during this time, is to bring our lives into greater balance to appreciate the season. And what better way to do that in our yoga than by practicing balance poses? I invited my students to open their hearts to greater balance as we worked with many different and challenging poses: Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana, Vrksasana, Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanansana, Vashisthasana, Natarajasana, Ardha Chandrasana, Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana and many others as well. Everyone began rather wobbly and one student almost considered bolting when she heard what ...