ever open its heart
to give all of its beauty
to this world?
It felt the encouragement
of light on its being.
Otherwise,
we all remain too frightened.

 

~Hafiz

 

This past weekend my teacher, Mary Paffard, was here teaching at HeartSong and she read this familiar and well-loved poem. It touched me deeply - it seemed like she was reading it just to remind me of what is most important in life.

 

I know you understand. Often students say to me, "I felt like you taught that class (read that poem, told that story...) just for me". Somehow just the words that they needed to hear that day were spoken and there was a deep personal resonance.

 

There are some universal themes that we simply each need to be reminded of frequently. When we hear them, they touch us and it is perhaps a part of why we keep coming back. Poets, speakers, yoga teachers and even just the yoga itself shine that light of encouragement on us. When your teacher invites you take a wide and courageous stance or to work a little stronger in your pose or to soften and release over-efforting, she is reminding you of something important in you and encouraging you to be fully who you are. Our great poets, whose words we often bring to class, remind us to be more wholly ourselves. The words, the stories, the poses, they all give us inspiration to explore and open ourselves. It is a courageous act to do yoga. To look encouragingly at oneself is the ultimate way out of the fear that seems inherent in living.

  

What does it take for you to open? Where are your encouraging lights? Who sees you as you are? What would be the cost of remaining frightened?  

 

For me, the answers to these questions keep me practicing and they keep me teaching and they keep me wanting to open even more. They make me grateful for being a part of this community of bright lights and open hearts.

 

                                                                                      (You can see this post and others from the past at my blog)

Namaste,

 

Leslie

 

And blessings from the whole HeartSong team! Lani, Kayci, Noemi, Kat, Toby, Lynn, Heather and Kasey

According to Wikipedia, Shakti, meaning "Power" or "empowerment," is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe. It is the divine feminine creative power.

Shakti, is supported by the energy of Shiva - the Transformer. Shiva is the foundation of life and the alchemist who supports all of life becoming all it can be.

Shiva dances with Shakti to make all of life happen! And this dance and our yearning to create an amazing life is what we will explore in the intensive this summer.

For 8 weeks, beginning on June 16th, Leslie will be leading a dedicated group of yogis on a journey through the chakras exploring the masculine and feminine balance and using this and asana to support a vibrant and joyful life. This kind of program is much more than just more asana classes. Yes, we are going to do yoga poses but the real intention is to create an environment for transformation! When you bring the energies of the chakras into the light of your practice, you experience yourself differently. That is what we will do this summer. The Dance of Shiva and Shakti, the sweetest most exciting relationship within, is possible for each of us.

You may have considered the program but are not sure if you can commit the time; it may seem too early in the day; there are probably lots of reasons not to go for it .... But really, what is it worth to have the opportunity to explore this inner relationship in the great company of other yogis and a teacher that will lead you in a creative flowing practice that helps you to feel more vital, more joyful, more fully you?