SALEM  //  EUGENE  //  GRESHAM

We are offering scholarships to teachers committed to teaching Street Yoga classes in these areas at our upcoming Portland & Bend trainings.  

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Contact: jaime@streetyoga.org 

I recently returned from completing my Integrated Movement Therapy^® internship at the Samarya Center in Seattle, WA, where an activity like this [ self-inquiry] is central to clinical practice. Integrated Movement Therapy^® (IMT) is a yoga-based therapy modality truly suited for anyone working with a physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual challenge and needing support. It draws from the philosophy and practices of yoga, recognizing and celebrating the innate wholeness of all people. The therapist aims to create an authentic partnership with her client so that the client can become conscious of the necessary tools to boost his self-awareness, and very importantly build the love he feels for himself.

In my IMT studies and work with Street Yoga, I have been touched time and again by the ways love shapes how we live in the world and the way we feel about ourselves. When love is lacking, we can be left feeling broken, isolated, rejected. We suffer when love is lost and build for ourselves a protective layer around our hearts. When it is present, we tend to cling tightly- attaching ourselves to the euphoric feelings of bliss and completeness, with the genuine hope that things will always stay so good.

Think about the process of conjuring up that one thing that you love about yourself. Perhaps this type of activity is familiar to you, perhaps not. Regardless, the process can be an interesting one. If I had asked you to generate a list of your challenges, shortcomings, "deficits," would your list have been longer? It has been my experience that we are conditioned to recognize our faults and feel as though we should change and "be better" in order to be productive in life. So often that negative, critical voice speaks louder inside our minds than the loving, compassionate, encouraging voice- the one that wants us to know we are loved and okay just the way we are.

In yoga we aim for balance. We cultivate our abilities to experience many aspects of life at once: groundedness and lightness, stillness and movement, alertness and relaxation. Little by little, we become better able to step back from the messes of being human and witness ourselves with love and compassion. We create space to hold deep sadness with tenderness, defeat with hope, frustration with some shred of joy. We work to see other people as more than how they present to us, and ourselves as more than the single identity that feels strongest (addict, survivor, mother, child, employee...) But we must remember that this is all a practice. We make mistakes and sometimes it feels as though we have to start all over again. The unexpected hardships and immeasurable joys of life both challenge us and highlight parts of ourselves that we have perhaps never known.

In the midst of my intensive studies, I learned about the Atma (or Nirvana) Shatakam, the Song of the Self, written by a sage in the eighth century. The stanzas summarize the Advaita Vedanta (non-dualistic philosophy) and answer the question Who Am I from a yogic perspective. I love this song because it acknowledges so many of the different identities and ways of being to which we attach, and then states that we are not any of those things. Phew! The good news? We are pure consciousness, pure love.

Atma-Shatakam / Nirvana Shatakam 

The Song of the Self

by Adi Shankara

788-820 CE

• I am not mind, nor intellect, nor ego, nor the reflections of inner self. I am not the five senses. I am beyond that. I am not the ether, nor the earth, nor the fire, nor the wind (i.e. the five elements). I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.  
• Neither can I be termed as energy (Praana), nor five types of breath (Vaayu), nor the seven material essences (dhaatu), nor the five coverings (panca-kosha). Neither am I the five instruments of elimination, procreation, motion, grasping, or speaking. I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.  
• I have no hatred or dislike, nor affiliation or liking, nor greed, nor delusion, nor pride or haughtiness, nor feelings of envy or jealousy. I have no duty (dharma), nor any money, nor any desire (refer: kama), nor even liberation (refer: moksha). I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.  
• I have neither virtue (punya), nor vice (paapa). I do not commit sins or good deeds, nor have happiness or sorrow, pain or pleasure. I do not need mantras, holy places, scriptures, rituals or sacrifices (yajna). I am none of the triad of the observer or one who experiences, the process of observing or experiencing, or any object being observed or experienced. I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.  
• I do not have fear of death, as I do not have death. I have no separation from my true self, no doubt about my existence, nor have I discrimination on the basis of birth. I have no father or mother, nor did I have a birth. I am not the relative, nor the friend, nor the guru, nor the disciple. I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.  
• I am all pervasive. I am without any attributes, and without any form. I have neither attachment to the world, nor to liberation. I have no wishes for anything because I am everything, everywhere, every time, always in equilibrium. I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.
  » read the full sanskrit translation here...  

I would add to this beautiful and ancient hymn a verse that speaks to all of us working today to make the world a more peaceful place. To those serving others and those who we serve:

I am not homelessness, I am not trauma, nor am I addiction.
I am not depression, nor anxiety, nor sleeplessness.
I am not sadness, nor fear, nor am I frustration. I am not invisible.
I am, indeed, that eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.

Love,

Jaime Hedlund
Program Manager

Jaime is a long-time volunteer for Street Yoga and currently serves as the Program Manager. She is also a trained practitioner of Integrated Movement Therapy^®. To learn more about IMT and schedule a session with Jaime, please contact her at jaime.hedlund@gmail.com

 

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Trainings are open to experienced yoga teachers as well as those new to yoga. In the past we've had massage therapists, nurses, social workers, teachers and many others join us for a weekend of connection, learning and soul-building.

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