LOVE-Peace -Harmony
"Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything—anger, anxiety, or possessions—we cannot be free." ~Thich Nhat Hanh
With the advent of the start of the Chinese new year, a new moon, ground hog day, and my kid’s birthday(my day of deep gratitude for my life), I though it appropriate to look at peace - love - harmony.
In addition to the shifting energy of this busy week, my heart has been centered in my yoga practices and on remembering the blessings and lessons of Thich Nhat Hanh,the Zen master of mindfulness and love. His recent passing has caused me to pause and appreciate all he gifted to humanity with his beautiful life. At the core of all true teachings is love; the Zen master truly lived with love in his heart. He spoke in profound ways of human connection but in the simplest of forms. His books grace every room in my house and serve as a gentle reminder for being present with what is really here within us, around us and flowing between us …. All contained yet all expansive. If you have been in my classes this week, I have been reading from his books in my Dharma talks.
“ We already are what we want to become “.This Zen statement reminds us that what we have been looking for is already available to us in the ‘here’ and the ‘now’. In the light of inter-being, we see that we are all interconnected and inter-dependent with one another. Maybe you have noticed this especially during COVID ? Sometimes, the practice is to stop seeking, so that we can look deeper in order to see what we already are and listen to what we want to become. And if we don't like what we see by looking deep, we need to dig deeper to find support to help us make choices to change it.
As I am writing this, something dawned on me. I remembered that during my textile design career at in NYC, my team worked on a collective printing project for Ticht Nhat Han’s calligraphy exhibition held at ABC Carpet & Home. It was an honor to work with his paintings and watching him ‘in his flow’ creating the simplest of calligraphic gestural marks with clear intent and presence.
When you strip away fear, jealousy, hatred and differences - it is beautiful how life could be like a simple shape. How love transcends all groups, religions, and ideas. If the core of love is the foundation of any person or organization, then the foundation is based in truth and compassion that moves outward from the center like the beating of a heart to support the whole being.
I pray we can keep the love of humanity, awareness of interconnectedness to all nature and the reduction of suffering at the core of our thoughts, words and actions with ourselves and others as we make choices to move forward from a place of love and compassion… in what we do and say on and off the mat.
Making little choices starting with our selves is the beginning of cultivating peace-love-joy. However, it is hard- hence it’s called a practice. We have to get to the mat even when we don't want to. Physically and metaphorically we have to show up for ourselves in the light and in the shadows, so the innate wisdom of you unfolds in with the practice. The practice shows you your heart center – the pain and the joy; the love and the fear, your breath process- the in of the new and the release of the old, the holding and clenching in between. Invite the breath awareness in to connect you to being present with yourself –right here, right now.
Thich Nhat Han so eloquently states, “ A true partner or friend is one who encourages you to look deep inside yourself for the beauty and love you have been seeking “. It’s there- your partner can be your yoga practice too!
The yoga practice gives you a place to be the vanguard of love towards yourself – Are you willing? Or are you a soldier in the constant battle of fear? Are you committed to uplifting others or to squashing those you disagree with? With effort and surrender, we can each explore the ways that we have severed love and belonging and start to repair torn trusts in our hearts and communities. This cycle will invite us all to re-evaluate how we spend our precious time with ourselves and with others: in a place of mindfulness with our thoughts, words and actions. Sniping, malicious gossip, and rabid use of hate to put people in their place have polluted social media and fragmented our communities, fostering the idea that we are indeed disconnected and fated to be at war with one another. This is the lie that must be dismantled in 2022 and it starts with working on ourselves.
Underneath all attacks and reactivity, there is almost always unprocessed pain and trauma. In 2022, we are called to repair those root causes of the pervasively marketed idea that we are opposed to one another. This begins with making trauma-informed care more available to all and creating opportunities for healing conversations in our communities. Reach out to me for help to start or deepen your practice; I would love to hear your ideas and thoughts.
So…..
It all can start with Yamas and the Niyamas. They are yoga’s ethical guidelines as laid out in the first 2 limbs of Patanjali’s eightfold path. They are like a map written to guide you on your life’s journey for Self-Realization. Simply put, the Yamas are the things not to do or restraints that affect others, and the Niyamas are the things to do or observances. Together, they form a moral code of conduct. They are the roots that anchor you and humanity into existence as a forest spreading peace – love - harmony.
They are – (and you might hear a teacher talk about them at the beginning of class)
Yamas: Ahimsa (Non-harming), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (Non-stealing), Bramacharya (moderation of senses/right use of your energy,) Aparigraha (non-possessiveness)
Niyamas: Saucha (purity/cleanliness), Santosha (contentment with what you put forth), Tapas (discipline), Svadhyaya (self-study), Isvara Pranidahana (surrender to higher power)
Our practice has to grow from these roots. They make the strong foundation that will hold you as you unfold the innate intelligence (it’s there !) so that you can see, accept, choose, change, love, and express your true self . Let’s build a mindful world community based on Truth -- Peace- Love – Harmony as we dig deep into the soil to clear the weeds and get to our roots.
I hope you join me for some workshops to get us to our roots !