|
Reflections on the Recent Holiday
|
by Burton Ritchie
In a time when our nation is celebrating freedom from oppression, I am compelled to think about the ways in which I remain imprisoned as an individual. Just as the seeds of the Revolutionary War were laid in a commitment to stick by the principle of “No taxation without representation,” so, my personal journey through recovery and ultimately in yoga has been typified by my commitment to tell the truth. This is often awkward and can even be abusive if not handled with care. Four years ago, before I found yoga, my life was hectic and abrasive much of the time. Now, it has reached a level of calm and release I never would have thought possible. This has primarily been possible through the synergistic effects of breathwork, honesty and ahimsa.
Without yoga, my life is a series of interactions that I am constantly reacting to. I don’t have the time or awareness to act consciously. Pranayama has allowed me the moment of real-time reflection that I need to be able to absorb what is happening in the moment. It sounds so easy for some people to take a deep breath, but my yoga teacher and my wife are constantly reminding me to “take a deep breath”. I do pranayama in the shower now at the beginning of my day and it helps to remind me to be mindful during the day, as only by being mindful can I actually respect the truth.
Truth has so many different aspects, but the one that concerns me today is the ability to see what it. I was listening to a speaker talk about Iyengar and the dedication it took to spend days or weeks experimenting with the effect of moving a single digit a particular way in order to find out the best alignment. The speaker (and I think it was Sharon Gannon, but it may have been David Nichtern) then went on to compare that level of awareness to the mindfulness we can bring to our daily interactions with other souls. Asking ourselves “how will it affect this person if I am rude right now?” can be truly transformational. It was for me. Likewise, if I am trying too hard in class or being pushed by an instructor who is not being mindful, I can sustain an injury that can take a long time to heal. Knowing the truth of when we are faced with a potentially harmful or toxic situation is key to a healthy physical and emotional life.
Ram Dass once said, “Once you know, you can’t pretend you don’t know.” This is where ahimsa plays such a huge part in my daily life. Whether it be me creating a threat to my own body by non-mindfulness or someone making an unreasonable demand on my psyche, time or spirit, the trick is to be able to be gentle to self and others in real time. Ahimsa includes not allowing people to hurt me as much as it does the converse. In our culture, we often allow others to make demands of us that come completely at our expense. Being able to take care of my spirit has a huge impact in all areas of my life. If I take on other people’s negative energy, it affects me negatively in my body. The same happens if I treat other people with disrespect. My shoulders stay tight and I hunch up. This is not being kind to myself and it never plays out well for those around me.
Taking the time and commitment to learn how to breath allows me to exist in the moment. Once I have that ability, then I can accurately judge something for what it is and decide whether the best path is to relax into the stretch or reach out for help, use a prop, rely on an instructor, guide or friend. Once I have this process integrated as part of my daily life, then I am no longer creating chaos around me as I move through the world and I am no allowing others’ chaos to disturb my chosen path. The freedom this process has given me has not come easily or without effort, but it is worth all it takes. Today I choose to remain on a path of spiritual growth. This is a path that has now come to include yoga as an integral ingredient. I hope yoga can help you today in whatever you need.
Namaste,
Burton Ritchie
www.EverythingYoga.com co-founder
Burton@EverythingYoga.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|