"Yoga is grace under pressure and balance in the midst of an experience"
Rose Baudin ( my yoga philosophy teacher)
Dear beloved community,
Hope this letter finds you in good health. I am still processing the month of April, well aware that May is already unfolding way too fast.
I wanted to share some recent reflections, as it may resonate with you. It may help bring perspective to perhaps challenging times in your life right now, or help you navigate the difficulties later on.
April was a month of big contrasts, of joy and sorrow intertwined. It began beautifully with a yoga retreat I hosted in Sri Lanka, where 17 of us immersed ourselves in yoga, breath, and connection. Each moment truly filled my heart with purpose and gratitude, nurturing my soul in ways I cannot fully express.
Then just a week upon my return home, our beloved companion Bo was diagnosed with a sudden and an aggressive stomach cancer and at that point, he already stopped eating and was fading away fast. It was so hard to watch him suffer. We had to make a quick and painful decision to say one last goodbye and send him on his journey onwards. He was only 6 years old. We all held him as his heart stopped beating and our hearts broke into million pieces. Meki, my 10 year old daughter, wanted to know what this big painful feeling in her heart was. I explained, it was grief. She wanted further explanation of what grief was. I remembered it all too well…. it’s love that has nowhere to go - I replied. She understood. We cried.
That evening as the sun was setting down, all four of us went for a walk, just as we did with Bo. Meki looked at me so sad.. “Mom, all I can think is how much grief you've been through in your life with everyone you lost.” Clearly, she was thinking about this new feeling she was experiencing and how it must have effected me so many times in life. I admired silently her deep reflection of the whole situation.
“ A lot, Meki...And yet, I am here holding your hand, even smiling and I know we will be happy again.”- I said.
Her observation and my answer held a profound truth – that amidst life's trials, there lies a resilience within us, a capacity to heal and find joy once more.
I shared with her the essence of resilience, of embracing life's inevitable changes with an open heart. For in the face of loss – whether of a loved one, a pet, a job, a relationship, or a dream – we have a capacity to heal, and to find purpose and love again. She squeezed my hand, understanding in her own young age that she too would be fine. That one day again, we will open our hearts to another pet to come into our lives and that we will love him as much as we loved Bo.
What has Yoga to do with any of this? Everything.
Yoga has been a blessing and my guiding light through many life's storms. We all know the saying “when sh*t hits the fan” and if you are unfamiliar with this saying, it basically means that challenging times in life are unavoidable. You will get your heart broken ( maybe more than once), you may get ill, you will lose a parent, your relationship or marriage may end, and the list goes on. As cruel and unfair these examples may come across, well, that’s just reality of life. It is how we will deal with them, that will make us or break us.
My philosophy teacher Rose once explained life as a spinning ceiling fan – chaotic and unpredictable, yet at its center lies a stillness that remains untouched by the whirlwind of change. Yoga, she taught us, is the steady climb back to this center, a sanctuary amidst life's turbulence. ” Everyone.. Rose asked a group of students “ look up at the celling fan (which was spinning fast )... can you see how the blades are spinning but the center of the fan is not? It is still and undisturbed by the speed of which the blades are turning”. She explained that when we go through life’s challenges and find ourselves hanging on the edges for our dear life, we must crawl back to the center as fast and as safely as possible. Because center is always still, unmoving.
So how do we do that ? We do that by using the techniques yoga has given us…Through the practices of breath awareness, meditation, and self-inquiry, we cultivate the tools needed to navigate life's ever-changing journey with grace and resilience. With each fall, we rise stronger, anchored in the knowing that all things, even pain, are transient and that everything is changing all the time. And that is okay and it cannot be otherwise. And we bow to that ultimate truth.
As we journey through May, I invite you to embrace the cycles of life with open hearts and courage. And may we find solace in the practice, strength in our community, and light in the darkest of moments.
With love and gratitude,
Danica
Comments