Greetings Sadhakas,
This week in class
we will be exploring moving from a selfish state to a selfless state.
Love is swift,
sincere, pious, joyful, generous, strong, patient, faithful, prudent,
long-suffering, courageous, and never seeking her own; for wheresoever we seek
our own, there we fall from love.
– Thomas a Kempis
Our English word
love has become almost impossible to use. We say he's "falling in
love" as if it were something that could happen every day, like falling
into a manhole. Is it so easy to fall in love?
Listen to our
popular songs; look at our magazines and newspapers. When they say, "I
love you," that's not what I hear; I hear "I love me." If we
could listen in on a marriage proposal with the ears of Thomas a Kempis, this
is what we would hear. The man gets down on bended knee and says, "Sibyl,
dear, I love me; will you marry me?"
There is a little
undertone of this in almost all relationships. This is how we have all been
conditioned, to put ourselves first at least part of the time. Most
relationships begin with some passionate "I love you's" and some
undertones of "I love me." But if we want our relationship to
blossom, we'll gradually change the focus from me, me, me to you, you, you. Then
our selfish passion is transformed into pure love.
Words to Live By:
Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is
to notice it the next time you experience pain, jealousy, or a selfish feeling
in relationship. What should our
response be when this comes up? If
attaining nonattachment can take a lifetime of work, what is that work? How can our Yoga practice inform this
process?
Blessings,
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
info@rushingwateryoga.com
Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal,
and Vancouver Washington
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