Yogi Bhajan
When I went to my meditation cushion this morning, a quiet rain fell soothingly outside and I realized that in a sense, this has been the summer of love.
As I watch everyone around me finding their perfect soul mates, dream jobs, dream homes and marrying the love of their life, I am quietly cultivating my own inner love for myself, my life and all the blessings that have come cleverly disguised as obstacles. This summer I am re-discovering my love for the outdoors, for cycling, for rock climbing, for practicing yoga (without the busyness of a hectic teaching schedule), and for living without expectation. I am practicing taking a good hard look at myself and what I've allowed to influence me over the last few years. And I'm acknowledging, for the first time really, just how much certain events have affected me and altered the course of my life.
For me, one of the biggest obstacles seems to be Trust. Or, maybe it's Faith. The two seem interchangeable sometimes. In a recent Anusara-inspired teacher training, we were taught about the Universal Principles of Alignment - not only to help our physical asana practice, giving it a more therapeutic advantage, but also to assist with the alignment of our inner attitude. The very first UPA is - Opening To Grace. Sounds so lovely doesn't it? Open To Grace. Yet, I struggled with understanding this. I mean, I understand it, but I don't think I really knew it.
I've always been a Do-er. I act. I work hard. I DO a lot of things, all the time. Talking about what you want only gets you so far. I'd rather take action. My mantra, for most of my life, has been "If I don't do it - who will?" and often "If you want something done right - do it yourself." I've always considered this a positive thing. Yet, it's come to my attention recently that in all my Do-ing I've somehow forgotten how to just BE. And with a significant deficiency in Trust/Faith, too much Do-ing can actually inhibit the flow of love, abundance and opportunity in one's life. Too much Do-ing is strikingly similar to escapism isn't it? Sometimes trying to "do" everything, all on your own, is akin to running away from all the things that present to try and assist you on your path. Without proper balance, too much of this inner attitude that one must accomplish everything on one's own is really just a lot of stubborn-ness and an obvious inability to open one's heart and just be vulnerable sometimes.
In the Anusara tradition of Yoga, this practice of Opening To Grace is the first alignment principle because it is from this that all the other principles stem from. When you are Open to the flow of Grace in your body, in your mind, in your life, there is a bright radiant quality to all that you do. To align yourself with Grace is to align with all that is Divine - love, forgiveness, truth, gratitude and following your heart.
In the words of John Friend, Yoga Teacher and creator of Anusara Yoga:
"Opening To Grace is about opening to the universal source of energy. It’s about remembering the highest purposes of the practice. Throughout the class, there should always be some instruction to remember the universal, to remember the big picture. The details should be put in context of the universal source, That’s really the overriding principle of Anusara, to remember the universal. And that universal spirit is one that’s grace-filled, so it assists us in our awakening and in making beauty through our yoga practice. it’s big for me."
At the starting of this year my intention was to listen to my intuition more closely and to surrender more. In a sense - to Open To Grace. To trust. To relax my compulsive need to control the outcome of so many situations that are just better left to the powers-that-be. I can honestly say I feel I'm getting a little better in that department. Although there seems to be a lot more room for improvement! So I keep practicing. I keep observing. I keep forgiving. And, slowly, step by step, I walk towards my heart's desire.
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