Overlap

Wednesday was Vasant Panchami, Saraswati's birthday.  Saraswati -- the goddess of the arts, creativity, and knowledge.  Not just the knowledge that comes from education, though. Divine knowledge. 

I love that her name can be broken down into three words:

sara, meaning essence

swa, meaning self

wati, meaning one who has

Thus, when Saraswati brings us divine knowledge, we become one who has the essence of the self/Self.

In yoga, there is also the teaching of the pancha koshas, the five sheaths of being.  We start with annamaya kosha, the physical sheath, the body -- that which gives us the impression of being separate, our illusory proof of individuation.  But as we move through the sheaths, as we journey from the physical through the energetic, the mental, the intellect, and even beyond the bliss body, we come to jiva atman, the "thumb print at the center of the chest'.  We arrive at the seat of the soul, that space where the individual divine touches the universal divine.

And so we learn, that this science of yoga which takes us on the journey of involution, which gives us the tools to profoundly understand the self, leads us to the divine knowledge of the Self and teaches us how we touch the divine in each other, how we connect, how we overlap.

Happy New Year!

The Abundance of Gratitude

As we move toward Thanksgiving, the concept of gratitude has me contemplating abundance.  So often, we give thanks for what we already have, and ownership provides a sense of safety.

In yogic thought, abundance is looked at quite differently.  Rather than being a stockpile, it is akin to faith -- the deep knowing that one will have what one needs when one needs it.  It is the foundation of generosity and allows us to practice aparigraha (non-hoarding) as we hold an open hand that is ready to both give and receive.

It is common to set an intention for our practice.  We hold it in our hearts, or write it on a paper which we tuck beneath our mat, our meditation seat or place on our altar.  However when we come to our practice, rather than coming to the mat in an attitude of supplication, making a request, instead we might come with gratitude, giving thanks for having already received.  For just listening to our breath, hearing the echo of the mantra So Hum, we know that our very breath itself contains the truth "I am That.  I am All That Is."  And so, there is nothing to ask for.  We have only to give thanks because we already contain everything.  True abundance.

The Ripple Effect

I am a firm believer in the ripple effect.  I know it can be tempting to believe that initiating profound movements or transformations is the only way to really bring change to our world.  While bold action is beautiful and can be necessary, seeing it as the only way sometimes lets the individual off the hook, reduces personal responsibility.

I see it as more effective -- and more truthful -- to believe that small things matter, to think of our actions as dropping a pebble into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand, moving outward.  A smile, a kind word, a helping hand can all inspire the recipient to do the same for someone else.  These acts can stop the downward spiral of someone's day, life them up, bring positivity, and send their day in a completely different direction.

As a practitioner of yoga, I believe this concept to be one of the foundations of this science.  By using the techniques of yoga to step into my vibrancy as an individual, I am also elevating the vibrancy of the world.  Energy ripples out.   Expansion creates a larger embrace. A lightening is offered.

Every ripple has a starting place, a point of origin.  Are you willing to commit to regularly being a point of origin?  Might you consider the effect of your thoughts and actions, and commit to acting graciously as much as possible?  to choosing kindness?  Will you dedicate to the practices that fill your well, feed your joy, seek your own peace, so that you have a resource within yourself, a mountain of pebbles to drop and send those ripples flowing?

Inside Look: Class with Lisa Benner

Light

JANAKA:  Yajnavalkya, what is the light of man?

YAJNAVALKYA:  The sun is our light, for by that light we sit, work, go out, and come back.

JANAKA:  When the sun sets, what is the light of man?

YAJNAVALKYA:  The moon is our light, for by that light we sit, work, go out, and come back.

JANAKA:  When the sun sets, Yajnavalkya, and the moon sets, what is the light of man?

YAJNAVALKYA:  Fire is our light, for by that we sit, work, go out, and come back.

JANAKA:  When the sun sets, Yajnavalkya, and the moon sets, and the fire goes out, what is the light of man?

YAJNAVALKYA:  Then speech is our light, for by that we sit, work, go out, and come back.  Even though we cannot see our own hand in the dark, we can hear what is said and move toward the person speaking.

JANAKA:  When the sun sets, Yajnavalkya, and the moon sets, and the fire goes out and no one speaks, what is the light of man?

YAJNAVALKYA:  The Self indeed is the light of man, your majesty, for by that we sit, work, go out, and come back.

from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Chapter IV, The States of Consciousness

as translated by Eknath Easwaran