Greetings Yogis and
Yoginis,
This week in class we are considering nurturing ourselves.
This week in class we are considering nurturing ourselves.
Love feels no
burden, thinks nothing of trouble, attempts what is above its strength. . . .
It is therefore able to undertake all things, and it completes many things, and
warrants them to take effect, where one who does not love would faint and lie
down.
-Thomas a Kempis
Without a tank full
of gas, no car can drive very far. The mind, too, needs a full tank of vitality
to draw on for patience, resilience, and creativity. Filling that tank every
morning is one of the most practical purposes of meditation. The test of your
meditation is: How long can you be patient with those around you? In the beginning,
you should aim to make it at least to noon acting like the proverbial angel.
Most of us, however,
even if we start with a full tank, have little control over the thousand and
one little pinpricks that drain vitality as we go along: worry, vacillation, irritation,
daydreaming. By lunchtime the indicator may be hovering around empty.
Then it is that you
have to be acutely vigilant. The tank is nearly empty, but by sheer effort and
deft defensive driving, and using the mantram, you manage to coast through to
the end of the day without any serious accidents.
The more effort you
make, the more endurance you gain. The next day you may find the tank itself a
little larger; you start the next day with a greater capacity for love and
patience than before.
Words to Live By:
Inspiration for Every Day –
Eknath Easwaran
Note: A mantram is
a powerful spiritual formula which, when repeated silently in the mind, has the
capacity to transform consciousness.
Learn more at http://www.easwaran.org/.
The homework is to learn what it takes to “fill your tank.” Use the awareness you cultivate through your
Yoga practices to notice when your “tank” is becoming low and recognize when it
is time to nurture yourself. When you
find yourself loosing your patience do whatever works for you to find patience,
love and compassion.
Blessings,
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington
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