BE THE CHANGE

I had a little epiphany at Steve's yoga class Wednesday.  Well, first, let me say he did this really cool thing where he wove a poem into our practice.  Every so often, while we held a pose, he'd recite (from memory!) a stanza from The King's Ring, a poem about impermanence.  I'll copy and paste it below for you.

So anyway, he also quoted Gandhi at one point -- the famous "You must be the change you want to see in the world".  I always find that admonishment a bit jarring.  My brain immediately conjures up a greatness I can't quite imagine myself being.

Like Gandhi's many hunger strikes that led to the eventual overthrow of English rule.  I'm sorry.  I can pledge to go on a cleansing fast in the morning and by 3:00 p.m. I'm lightheaded, sort of nauseated, and binging on Triscuits dipped in butter.

Or Martin Luther King and his March on Washington that moved the Civil Rights Movement into the public consciousness so profoundly.  The only dream I could speechify is the one where I forgot to study for the final exam and I show up unprepared -- and naked.

Last night at the Democratic National Convention Hillary Clinton accepted the nomination of the first woman ever to be the nominee of a major political party in the U.S.  She said in her speech that when she was four years old her mom made her go back outside and face the bullies who were taunting her because no cowards lived in their house.  Whoa.  I was about the same age when a strange man came to our door (strange to me, but maybe someone known to my mother, but unwelcome), and I remember hiding with her in the bedroom until he went away.  I handle conflict about that well today.  So you see, I've never thought of myself as any kind of example for "being the change".

Yet, here's the power of meditation and yoga and paying attention (and, OK, therapy) -- I really AM an agent for change!  The idea behind the quote, of course, is that in a million small ways we each can be the change we want to see.  I want everyone to grow veggies and flowers -- tasty and beautiful.  So  I finally planted a garden.  I want everyone to do the inner work it takes to understand themselves and their motivations, so I've immersed myself in a couple of decades of personal growth work and helped others on the path.  I want aging to be a natural, beautiful, joyful process with older people feeling good about themselves, healthy, vital, and giving.  So I facilitated a group for women over 60 and I practice yoga and love my family and cherish my friends and practice mindfulness.  I want a world where optimism, ingenuity, kindness, humility, and generosity are how human life is lived.  So ... well ... I try for all those things; it's a practice.

Does any of this matter?  Well, The King's Ring might lead us to believe that in the big picture, in the Cosmic, Giant Universe way, everything "passes away" and our life's pursuits are ultimately of little consequence, so don't get too attached.  Still, we live.  We contribute one way or the other. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.  I say, let's live like the beautiful beings we are while we're walking this earth....and be the change today. ©

Namaste,  donnajurene

The King's Ring by Theodore Tilton

The Sexton's Tale, And Other Poems.
Copyright 1867
Sheldon And Company, New York.

DONKEY AND ELEPHANT POSE

I confess.  I'm a bit of a political junkie -- and certainly more so during presidential election years.  I get obsessed and a bit overwrought.  I get super excited and super dismayed.  I get angry and confused.  I get optimistic and hopeful.

All good opportunities to practice equanimity.  A good opportunity to practice deep diaphragmatic breathing.  A good opportunity to practice lovingkindness meditation.  But really, really difficult.

Last week was a tough time for me.  Yes, I'm a Liberal.  A Democrat.  So watching the Republican National Convention, which I did because it interests me what Republicans stand for and believe in for the future of our country, gave me ample opportunity to practice mindfulness and acceptance of what "is".  I also occasionally dropped to the floor and did a few Downward Dogs just to stay in touch with my body, cuz my mind and spirit were busy trying to comprehend and not freak out.

I bet some readers of this post will find they have the same challenges this week as the Democrats gather at their convention.  To people who support the Republican candidate and see things from a different perspective than I, their frustration and confusion this week must be just as acute.  I say to you:  breathe, move, be with what "is" this week too.

Listening to our respective party nominees we have the ability to sort out what is a campaign promise and what is actually doable.  Just like I can say I'll do a Lord of the Dance pose tomorrow while warming up for class and look like a Yoga Journal cover girl while doing it.  The reality is I'd be pretty off-balance at best, and fall on my butt at worst (and most likely).  And my track record isn't that great.  I tend toward simpler, more doable poses.  You'd be forgiven for betting against me.  But if I really, really mean to achieve the pose, I'll call upon the very best teachers, put my mind and body to the task over and over, and eventually I may get there, but it won't be easy or pretty.

Patience, compassion, unity, passion, optimism, hope, kindness, and love.  Isn't that what our practice is about?  Can that also be what what we model in the world?  The true test may be in politics.  Keep breathing.  It's where Spirit lives.

Namaste,  donnajurene

Photo Credit: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vexels.com/vectors/preview/77885/republican-and-democrat-party-symbols"> Republican and Democrat party symbols </a> | Free vector by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vexels.com/">Vexels</a>

ASANA AND THE BIKINI

You have to be a very special and confident woman to go into a fluorescent-lit dressing room, strip down to undies, pull on a new swimsuit and not sort of groan at the image in the mirror.  I am all about positive body acceptance (see clipart, which I love!), but really, for me the true test is swimsuit shopping.  Turning this way and that, looking for sags, bags, and bulges where bulges shouldn't be.  It generally takes trying on a rack full of suits to find one that makes me say, "Ahhh..." Finally!

So, when Elizabeth taught class one morning and explained that the yoga poses she was about to lead us through were offered as an "invitation to try on a pose", just like trying on a new outfit.  Some fit better than others.  Some fit perfectly.  Some not at all.  We may each decide which to try on, which to keep.

If you are like me, some outfits look way better on the hanger than they do on me.  I think of this when I'm thumbing through my monthly issue of Yoga Journal magazine.  Headstands look great on those models.  On me, well, I'd be happy with a Leaning Tower of Pisa version of the pose, but I don't come even close.  Does that make me wrong?  Or bad?  Or a lousy yogini?  No.  It offers me an opportunity to know myself, accept myself, decide for myself if I want to inch my way into that pose over time, or to just let it go -- not for me.

I think of my knees too, which I've written about before.  I simply cannot do poses that require "knee strength".  I don't do Hero's Pose without a prop under my bottom.  I am cautious about Low Lunge or Crescent Lunge.  I grab extra cushions for my knees, but some days there is just too much pain to do the pose at all.  The lesson for me is not to force myself to endure pain, but to accept that there are poses I cannot do.

Just like I do not wear clothing that is formfitting in the waistline.  I carry my extra weight right in my midsection -- the dreaded "apple" shape inherited from both my mother and father.  I don't force myself into clothing that binds, looks unattractive, or is so baggy I feel like I'm wearing a tent.  I find outfits that "fit" and look decent.

I find yoga poses, from the menu of offerings, that fit too.  I find those that bring me the maximum strength, flexibility, balance, and well-being that are right for MY body.

What about you?  Are you trying to fit into a bikini yoga pose when really a nice little one-piece would be much more comfy?  Then knock it off and be kind to yourself.  You deserve it.

Namaste,  donnajurene