“When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it is bottomless, that it doesn’t have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast and limitless.  You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space.  Your world seems less solid, more roomy and spacious.  The burden lightens.”

- Pema Chodron

 

Let’s focus this week on the following energies of Anahata: airy, self love, kindness and forgiveness - remember these qualities refer to yourself and others.  One of the easiest ways to move into these energies is acceptance and gratitude.

 

One of my favorite sayings:

“And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation - some fact of my life - unacceptable to me. I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God’s world by mistake.  Unless I accept life completely on life’s terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and my attitudes.”

 

Well there is good and bad news in relation to the above writing on acceptance - the good news is that just reading this puts me into a lighter, airier, fluid and more expansive space.  The bad news is…..its seems I’m the problem lol.  Ok so back to some good news….there is hope, because this is the key to my yoga and meditation practice!  I often tell students I have no interest in teaching the perfect hand stand or enlightenment on students meditation cushions.  My yoga and meditation practices are just that, a (daily) practice - I am simply connecting to myself and practicing how to do life off my mat and cushion,  Can I flow through my day connecting my actions with my body and my breath? Can I remain steady and balanced?  Can I keep my mind focused on the task in front of me only? And can I use all of this to increase that ever so important space in between??? That is; the space in between life happening (stimulus) and my thoughts and actions (response).  I often remind myself, I am not responsible for the 1st thought I have, but I am certainly responsible for the 2nd and for creating space in-between the 1st and 2nd - that is where my yoga and meditation practices come into play and I can assure you - that is the only reason I practice and the only reason I teach!!!

 

Why do you practice yoga? Why do you (if you do at all) meditate? Does what I am saying make sense to you?  Could you see these practices helping you if you put in the effort?  Can these practices help lighten your burdens? I hope so!!!!