Greetings Sadhakas,
This week in class
we are considering cultivating patience.
As Plato sometimes
speaks of the divine love, it arises not out of indigency, as created love
does, but out of fullness and redundancy.
- John
Smith the Platonist
In India , where
families often make severe sacrifices to send a son or daughter to college,
everyone is patient with a student who is out of cash. If you are waiting in
line for tickets with two or three friends, for example, and your turn comes at
the box-office window, everyone understands if you suddenly discover that your
shoelace has come loose. You bend down to tie it, giving your friends a chance
to buy your ticket, and everybody knows there is no question of generosity or
stinginess; you simply do not have the capacity to pay.
Similarly, when
someone suddenly gets angry, you can think to yourself, "Well, his
shoelace has just come untied." He has just run out of inner resources.
Whatever he was doing before, he has to bend down and look at his feet; he
hasn't got attention to give to anything else. To grow rich in love - to make
yourself into a real tycoon of tenderness - have patience with others.
Words to Live By:
Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is
to learn first to be patient with your
practice of Yoga asana. When you are faced with something you cannot physically
do see what it is you can do and be content (santosa) with that. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras presents
Adhyatma-prasada which means calmness, or clarity, of the inner being, (1:47) and
Upeksha which means equanimity, (1:33). Together these words convey the
meaning of patience. Through the observation in your practice and your
experiences off of the mat see if you can move towards this native state of
being. And just for fun, choose the longest line at the bank or grocery
store. Breathe slowly and pay attention
to your bodily sensations. Your
willingness to focus on your impatience will eventually reconnect you with the
reality that everything is moving at the proper speed. Finally, remember that
there is always enough time in nature.
Excerpts from “Living
your Yoga, Finding the Spiritual in Everyday Life”, by Judith Lasater.
Blessings,
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
360.834.5994
www.rushingwateryoga.com
Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington
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