Having been a teacher for most of my career, there have been countless times when there has been a need to break something into parts to understand its whole. As we journey through ten modules in yoga teacher training, the systems of the body are broken into units: musculo-skeletal, cardiovascular, nervous and endocrine systems, through to the subtle systems of chakras, nadis and koshas. We break down the various principles of alignment and ways of getting into and out of different postures. We spend a good part of the time breaking things down into manageable and understandable pieces making it easier to understand and digest. And since the training is extended (around 9 months), students slowly begin to absorb the richness of all the parts. It's not just theory - it becomes part of all who undertake the course.
We break it down to understand the bigger picture, the whole being, the whole body, the whole system of yoga and its multitude of aspects. One of the criticisms with modern medicine is that parts of it are so specialized, the specialists tend to only work with a small area of the body. As patients we hop from specialist to specialist for our various ailments but who's quarterbacking the overall picture? I have no issue with modern medicine and the astounding ability it has to treat acute illness and traumatic injury. I've been the benefactor of such technology and efficiency with a ruptured appendix that in the "olden days" could very well have killed me. But at times, we simply need the uber-focused view to become broader. Don't we all want to feel seen as a whole person rather than as a symptom, body part or disease?
As I journey along this path of yoga it feels as though I'm continually switching my lenses from that of a wide angle to that of a macro (which zeroes in to very specific elements). It's as though I'm drawing back for the overall big picture and how connect to all of it, then zooming into something that previously was imperceptible to me. With the recent effort to raise money for earthquake stricken Nepal, I turned toward the wide angle lens. I began to reflect upon how one small action happening in the desert of California could affect one person in devastated Nepal. I was reminded of the connectedness of all people, that I too, could be that earthquake ruined recipient one day as I live in earthquake country. Suffering connected us as the giver and the receiver. When we can sense the suffering and hardships of others, near or far, a piece of us is ignited into compassion.
Simultaneously, we more easily connect to others when we first connect to ourselves. We can dig into the well of generosity when we sense an inner abundance and have no qualms of sharing as enough exists for all. Yet, when we neglect what our our heart and self need, we can become stingy, fearing that there truly isn't enough for everyone, so we need to hold onto what we've got. Yoga teaches us to let go, to surrender into the greater whole and field of divine energy. When we feel a lack of something we close down and hold on but what we can realize is that simply being ourselves is enough. When we have our needs met beginning with the most basic needs of safety, food, air and community we begin to trust that whatever comes to us is available to all.
A tradition exists in Japan when people pour rice wine for another person. They overfill the cup which spills wine into the underlying saucer, which is then given to someone else. It's symbolic of there being an overflow of abundance, enough to be shared with others. Through our practice of yoga, we fill up. As we do so, we begin to see an overflow of energy that can be given freely to others. This offering is that ripple effect that touches those whom we come into contact with and those whom we don't even know...such as the people of Nepal.
What is flowing out of you? Are you able to let your positive vibrations echo out of you and affect others? If not, why not? Are you needing to bring self-compassion into your life more fully first and, if yes, what does that look like?
My thought for the week is to remember how we connect to the whole. To know that in order to change the world we change ourselves. To recognize that the simplest act can spill out of you in the most sublime and magical ways.
Allow your energy to touch the lives of others...begin within and let it rip!
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