I’m Beginning to Love Him <3

“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!

“We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there (emphasis by the blogger).” – Pope Francis (quotes taken from here). 

Note to Self No. 5

Not all practitioners can teach yoga, no matter how well they can do the asanas; not all who are capable of teaching yoga are called to teach. Not all who are called to teach lovingly respond to that calling.

Loyalty, Commitment, Sincerity

This thought on loyalty has been bugging me since I had an unpleasant experience with a bank manager last week. When friends asked me why I still stick with this bank despite its poor service and the presence of so many other banks in the country, I answered “Because loyalty is my default action and only under extreme condition do I resort to exit.”

Not only when it comes to products, services, brands, and institutions am I loyal. I usually give family and friends more than second chances when they cross boundaries, rightly or wrongly. However, in this time and age, in this market-dominated era, with this pleasure/happiness-seeking generation, does it still pay to be loyal?

Then came this article by grandguru Paul.

It has always been my dilemma when to hang on and practice loyalty and commitment, and when to let go and move on. Om.

“So above all strive to be kind and compassionate and mature your practice along lines of loyalty, commitment and sincerity. This is love.”

Things I Wanted To but Never Dared Say

 

1. No scripture ever said that using deodorant is vanity; it is okay to apply before class.
2. Every mat will roll out gently if you hold it at one end; no need to flap it unless you want to make a statement “I’m here, look at me.”
3. No audition is being held for shampoo commercial in the shala. Seriously.
4. You have halitosis.
5. Ironically, practice (rehearsal) adjustment does not mean it is done during someone’s practice (regular activity), unless the practitioner gives consent (which requires a lot of social capital).
6. Do not take cough medicine before class lest you sound/act drunk. Ginger works.
7. Follow the fasting rule. Yes, the class can hear your burps and farts and can actually guess what you last ate.
8. In an extremely crowded shala, accept that the different body parts of your neighbors will fall on your mat and it is perfectly okay. (And in kurmasana, no one can keep her/his arms within the mat’s width.)
9. It is rude to watch someone’s practice, unless perhaps s/he is a diva yogi. Drishti is designed for a purpose—trust the sages’ wisdom.
10. Do not hog attention. You just don’t.

Dance with Me

The Invitation

by Oriah

 

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, ‘Yes.’

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

Note to Self No.4

 

I was months late in my submission of research proposal. As I shared with my guru, “I did a lot of writing during the first part of the year but unfortunately, not for my proposal.” He replied, “Do not judge it as an unfortunate event. Nothing is good or bad, as everything happens as planned by the Universe. Judgement only comes from the mind.”

Yeah, there must be a purpose for every delay, my cut-short practice and the coming of Mr. Right included. I hope someday the Universe will be kind enough to let me know their purpose and allow me to rejoice in my longer list of ‘buti-na-lang’ moments.

Om.

Urdhva Dhanurasana Assist Illustrated

 

Finding My New Equilibria

Inspired by this video.

Musing

A lesson I learned around two decades ago, which came to my mind this morning on my way to shala: you break a horse not to weaken it but to direct its power.

*****

During my home practice yesterday, I was surprised to have felt my nape “open up” as I did halasana. All of a sudden, my feet reached farther than usual. Yes, I am now beaming with hope for the eventual chakrasana.

*****

Never in my whole Ashtanga life (I am now on my fifth year) had I bound my hands in pindasana. Of course I always blamed my thighs for not being able to do so (just like in pasasana, ha!). Today, however, I was able to do it for the first time! Yay! Chamba?

photo from ashtangayoga.info

*****

Was able to bind in Marichy D during my home practice and earlier today. I knew I was doing it differently from what I learned from grandguru Paul and from what I intuitively did last year (see this related post)–which was a bit in sync with what Kino was saying in this video about putting your weight forward.

Oh well, like what M said, whatever works for you.  

*****

Part of my “intuitive marichy d” was closing my eyes as I twisted and turned into the pose, sucking my belly in to get my armpit and ribcage as close to my thigh as possible before internally rotating my arm and shoulder. Essentially, I was feeling my way into the pose. The trick helps all the time and so I did close my eyes today while I practiced in the shala. Did anyone see me do it? Where’s the dristi, huh?

I was surprised that at some point today, GTMS gave instruction to someone to “feel the pose.” Hmmm. Did we mean the same thing?

*****

Lastly, in today’s practice I realized that it pays, and is less painful, to WAIT. Om.

Changes…

…and list includes this blog’s tag from this:

The aim of yoga is to make the body healthy and the mind tranquil and pure with which you become a useful instrument for God. – Sri Swami Satchidananda

Not that this statement does not hold true in my life anymore; only that the tag describes better the state of me as far as yoga is concerned. I remember sharing my sentiment to friend: ang iskwela kailangan i-karir; ang trabaho kailangan i-karir; ang responsibilidad ko sa bahay, kinakarir ko rin; pati ba naman yoga ikakarir ko pa rin? (Can someone please translate this in English? Ayokong karir-in ang blog ko!)

*****

I guess what I do during asana practice is not as important as what I become after the practice, or is it?

Om.