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Dear Friends,
I had the good fortune of studying with Ragunath this past Sunday during the first weekend of our teacher training at Michelle Dawson's Body Art Studio in Chester, New York.
Among many other gems offered, one of the topics of his Dharma was the discussion of the depth at which the practice of Yoga touches the body. Unlike other physical disciplines, the practice of Yoga attempts to touch, massage, lubricate, strengthen, expand and ease, every nook and cranny of the anatomy. In doing so, as practitioners, we become consciously or subconsciously more aware of the inner workings of our human bodies. How the muscles attach to the bones through ligaments and tendons, how the connective tissue weaves together all the organs and muscles, how the flexibility and strength of one joint affects the movement of another and so on.
Ultimately, this awareness of the subtle body translates into our ability to feel and understand the subtleties of nature and of life.
We become more sensitive to the smells and flavors of our food that we prepare and enjoy.
We become more sensitive to the energy of people we come in contact with, sensing emotions intuitively so can we discern where our feelings end and someone else's feelings begin, and we no longer take on the energy that's all around us that can dilute and make toxic our experience of life.
We begin to see the subtleties of nature's colors in an ever expanding light; seeing even more tones in the colors of the leaves as we move from summer to autumn, a richer experience of the colors of the flowers as we move from spring to summer.
The Full Wolf Moon arrives this Saturday and with it comes a heightened energy to all those beings illuminated by its glow. Walk outside over these next few days into the brilliant and bitter cold air, take a few deep breaths and see if you can feel and smell and hear the subtleties inside the dark and solid energy of the hibernating landscape. And if you go one layer deeper, you'll sense the seeds inside the acorns and grasses and trees, the patient power of life waiting to spring forth in the months ahead when the earth warms and this beautiful cycle of life continues its natural rhythmic pulsation.
Know that you are part of that Spanda, that pulsation, that you too are part of natures rhythm, and if you are able to get out of your own way, and surf the waves of the seasons with grace, not from your head but from you heart, you join in beautiful harmony to the chorus of all living things in the celebration of the Gift of this Body, this Life.
Reuniting with your birthright which is Consciousness & Bliss.
In Love,
Ben
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