#365yoga Day 8: Abundance

Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of Abundance

 

 

I taught 22 people in this morning’s class.  22.  It was about 18 degrees outside.  Class was at 9 am on a Saturday.  It would stand to reason that class would be small, but reason doesn’t always win out.  As it got closer to starting time, the door seemed to be constantly open as a stream of smiling, warm-hearted yogis and yoginis poured through the door and onto their mats.  The lounge looked like a winter wear outlet had exploded.  I had to start a 2nd sign in sheet and it took me extra time  to settle the accounts after class.  For an hour on the mat and for at least 15 minutes after class, 23 people (including myself) shared energy, stories, hope, peace, and love.  We shared dreams and breath and intention.  We shared our yoga. What a blessing!  What abundance!

Abundance is everywhere, but it’s not always as evident as it was this morning.  It’s there, we just have to look for it.  It often wears a disguise, it often hides, and it often goes by different names, but it’s there.  I saw it at Yoga Sol this morning.  I see it in the “welcome home” hugs I get from my kids when I walk through the door.  I saw it in the shining eyes of my friend from White Lotus as we Skyped this afternoon (I don’t know what is a stronger sign of abundance than having loving friends around the globe!)

Today my yoga is to look for, seek, and appreciate life’s abundance and then being grateful for what I find.  Where do you see abundance in your life?  What do you see?  Where does your gratitude lie today?

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

The Yoga of Rock and Roll…

I love lots of things.  I love candles. I love tea.  I love my family.  I love hikes through the woods, Nag Champa, arm balances, meditation, yoga, and hummus.  I also love an extremely cold Dirty Grey Goose martini, cheap beer, expensive beer, tattoos, high heeled boots, motorcycles, explosives, expletives, driving too fast, skinny dipping, and wildly loud rock and roll.

It’s all yoga, you dig?

No really, it is!  Today is Krishna‘s birthday.  Well, okay, today is the 2nd day to celebrate Krishna’s birthday this year, but let’s not nick-pick, eh?  Krishna represents the duality of humanity.  We are all light and dark, male and female, open and closed, happy and sad, loving and hateful.  We need that balance.  We ARE that balance.

We are all of those things.  Everything is both of those things. Since everything is everything, it also stands that everything is nothing.  It is that it is.  We are that we are.  I am that I am that I am that I am.  And so are you.

Folks freak out when they realize that I am a very spiritual person who drinks and swears and loves large tattoos and dances naked in the rain and occassionally does too much of all of those things.  What is it that Mark Twain said?  “Everything in moderation … including moderation!”

Amen.

With that, I’ll leave you with my favorite video of the moment.  You should know that I love The Rolling Stones and I also love The White Stripes, but that’s not why I’m posting this video.  I’m posting it because, if you look at Jack White, you will see the yoga of living, the yoga of Rock and Roll.  That guy is playing with Mick Jagger.  He’s loving it.  He’s not thinking, “Oh I’ve earned this.  I deserve this.  I am so awesome!”  Nope.  He’s thinking. “HAHAHAHAH!!  I’m playing with THE ROLLING STONES!”  He’s not scared.  He’s not thinking about the past or the future.  He’s right in the moment, living and breathing and loving and playing and freaking the hell out.  That, my darling, is yoga.

Rock ON!

Ganesha to the Rescue!

Into every life a little rain must fall.  Sadly, sometimes monsoons fall.  And sadly, sometimes Earthquakes shake the rain into our souls.

Haiti is in dire need of … well, of everything.  There are no hospitals, not enough doctors, not enough supplies, food, shelter, money, water, care takers, parents of children, guardians, security.  They need all of these things so desperately and we, as human beings, have a responsibility to help our brothers and sisters in need.  If you can donate, please do so.

If you cannot donate money or goods, however, you are not without resources to help!  Haitians also need things that cannot be held in hands.  They need hope, peace, love, inspiration, and emotional rescue!  Being that all living things are connected by The Divine Light, we can offer these things by meditating, praying, loving, and putting out healing energy that will travel across miles to the suffering.  Ganesha can help!

Ganesha (Ganesh,) the loving, lovable, jovial, curious, dancing Elephant God is here to help!  Ganesha is the Hindu God of overcoming obstacles.  Ganesh Mall Blog has an excellent mantra to chant to Ganesha. Om Vakratundaya Hum (OHM VAH-krah-TOON-die-ah hum) resonates in your head, your heart, and eventually your soul until it flows out of you like healing waves, crossing land and sea, to comfort and heal those in need. (and, of course, Ganesha is here to help us all – feel free to call on him for your own life, too!)
Please, do what you can.  Disaster affects us all.  We are one.  Sat Nam.

Namaste