Reflections

“There in that centre of priceless wisdom (the heart), you will find dimensions of specific intelligence, which are guiding your life into pathways of right action. There are seven dimensions of intelligence that resonate outwardly from the centre of your heart. You may first regard them as principles of living, but as you master them more fully, you will see them as dimensions of greater knowledge and ability. They are: unity, love, life, respect, honesty, justice and kindness. Through these dimensions of understanding the heart can restore wholeness in an infinity of ways, to achieve an infinity of results, from an infinity of starting points. This is the capacity of the heart.”

~ Glenda Green, Love Without End

This summer I had the opportunity to spend a few weeks on a remote island in a very simple cottage. Here the din of Mother Nature can be heard in each breath. Here, there are but the basics of living – simple shelter, simple meals and limitless space in which to play with sand, rocks, water, under the sun, stars and sky. The flutter of monarch butterflies, the lapping of water on the shore, the warm breezes that waft across my face, my canoe paddle that seamlessly carves a path on the surface of the water – these are all gifts that my memory stores to inspire me when the storms of daily living appear so turbulent that I cannot see past the next item on my ‘to do’ list. My yoga mat is with me and I roll it out everyday. Sometimes it remains that way and yet I don’t step on it but instead I may choose to walk upon the rocks, swim or paddle the cool waters or simply listen to the beautiful call of the loons. This is my daily yoga practice. I truly feel blessed for how my world of family, friends, students and strangers has been orchestrated so that I may be here.

I am aware of my responsibility and desire to give back to the world, so this ‘re-filling of my well’ is a gift, but like any other gift, its value is magnified a thousand fold when I share it through my actions. Gandhi said, “be the change you want to see in the world”. So, if you want life around you to slow down or be more balanced, then what are you doing to slow yourself down or be more balanced?

Being in Mother Nature, whether on an isolated island, looking out my home window at the shape of the clouds or the texture of tree bark, stepping on my yoga mat or sitting on my meditation cushion, are all intentional ways that I choose to lift my energy – to bring me closer to my ‘balance’ point, and thereby, like butterfly wings, change the vibrational and ultimately the physical world, toward a state of balance.

So, when I am not surrounded by untouched Mother Nature, yoga on the mat certainly ‘refills my well’. It brings me closer to ‘what I want to see in the world’ – kindness, respect, justice, honesty, unity and of course, love. So, show up on your mat as you are and allow your practice to raise you to what you wish to become.