In Chinese medicine, the Oneness of the universe is said to manifest as two primary forces: yin and yang. Many of us are familiar with the image of the yin/yang, it looks like one of those delicious black and white cookies! But, these energies or prana, as described in yogic traditions, are much more than opposites. In fact, most everything exists as a dance between yin and yang. Cold, receptive, deep and inward, yin reflects that which is hidden and thus less tangible. Hot, dry, active, outward, yang reflects that which rests closer to the surface. Here alone we can see that we cannot have yin without yang nor yang without yin, they are a brotherhood, a sisterhood, a family.
We can see these two forces alternately ebbing and flowing in nature and within our bodies throughout the year. In day and in night, in sun-moon cycles and indeed in each moment with our breath and the beating of our heart. Yin and yang remind us that all is in flux, ever changing and thus impermanent. There is a constant shifting of balance, of focus and awareness in our lives. The trick is to stay open to both dark and light, interior and exterior, positive and negative, as these dichotomies are the truth of our existence. To be human is to feel the full spectrum of life.
Winter, being the most yin time of year, is an opportune time to go inward and explore deep and even dark places. Yoga offers us a wonderful opportunity to get to know our inner cosmos. Even the simple act of bringing awareness to the breath can offer endless gifts. For more information about yin yoga, visit
www.yinyoga.com or contact Sarah at
sarah@austinmobileyoga.com ~Sarah Smazal
Happy (Yogic) New Year!
The Revolution is in the Resolution: Sankalpa"You are what your deep driving desire is, as your desire is, so is your will; as your will is, so is your deed, as your deed is, so is your destiny."
I came across this quote from one of the most ancient bodies of wisdom in the yoga tradition, the Upanishads, while considering what it means to make New Year's resolutions, and I realized: I always start out full of good intentions, but by the end of the year my good intentions have usually gone bad. So I wanted to make a shift this year (really!) and actually, consciously enact change. But in order to enact change, I need something more than "just" my good intentions. I need to cultivate and fortify my resolve. I need to set my sankalpa.
"Sankalpa" is a Sanskrit term that means "Will; purpose; determination." To take it a bit further, we can think of it as "thought, intention, or will directed toward a specific outcome." In other words, by setting a sankalpa to bring about a specific outcome, we bring about real change.
There's also that famous quote from Mahatma Gandhi: "We need to be the change we wish to see in the world." Hmmm. That implies a certain amount of Work. The changes we wish to see can happen over long periods of time, or they can be immediate. It is said that it takes 40 days in order to develop a habit...good or bad. I've known yogis who will take on a 40-day challenge, practicing every day until it's become a new samskara, or habit. I've noticed in my own life that I can develop new habits pretty quickly; unfortunately they are not always healthy for me. I wonder what would happen if I practiced something small, every day, that fed my sankalpa to know my heart's deepest desire in order to live my true destiny? What if that became a habit?
So instead of merely setting best intentions for the year, why not get real and sit down and contemplate the Big Questions: Who am I? What do I REALLY want? And HOW can I manifest my deep, driving desire in such a way that helps me bring about my destiny? Who knows, I might even lose a little bit of weight while I'm at it...
I believe it is totally worthwhile to start with the Big Questions at the beginning of the year. Who knows, it may be the seed I need in order to fully bloom. Almost every sacred text starts with the very biggest concepts. For hatha yogis, consider the very first word in the Yoga Sutras: "atha." It means "now." In a way, why go any further than that? Imagine "now" as your sankalpa. Enlightenment? Now. Cultivate more patience? Now. Eliminate sugar from the diet? Now. Do more yoga? Now. Love more? Now. World Peace? Now.
Several years ago, when I began to consciously set a sankalpa for my life, I wanted more than anything to be in love and find a life partner. After much deep contemplation, unwavering dedication to my asana and meditation practices, and lots of love and therapy, I found him. And I married him. And then we had a baby. So it goes. I've been reflecting on this as I look back on the decade. This decade, my fourth, has truly been about my yoga practice maturing in a way that is so welcome to me, and it's also been about me manifesting my deepest desires. So now I'm ready to go even deeper, and get to the core, tap into the root, open into another layer of the lotus in 2010!
~Liz Belile
Liz’s Suggested Meditation:
Here's a meditation I suggest to my students who have set the sankalpa to connect to their heart's deeper desire, all while obtaining some valuable skills and information along the way:
Take a nice, comfortable seat. Rest your hands on your thighs or knees. Turn up the brightness on your inner light. Soften your skin and your facial features, even as you grow bigger and more expansive inside. Turn your attention toward your heart center, said to be the seat of the True Self, the Inner Teacher. Soften the muscles around your ears. Soften your ears. Begin to listen to the sound of your breath. Take note of your breath's natural flow, without trying to change it. Observe the sounds in the room around you. Simultaneously listen to the sounds inside you. Ask your heart the question: What is my deepest desire? And then...listen. Know that the answer may come as a feeling, or an image, or a word. Note if the mind or ego tries to answer the question; the True Self will respond to your wooing the way a wild deer might. You must tread lightly and be open. The False Self will want to answer the question immediately and start making plans to achieve it. This is your work, to discern between the two. Take your time. Practice this meditation often. Just wooing the Inner Teacher will bring clarity. You can also tell if the True Self (your "intuition") is answering the question if it results in goodness for you.
On a more mundane level, it can be quite helpful to consciously resolve to make changes with outcomes we can measure. For example, I have a handful of yoga teacher friends who have a "pose of the year," where they vow to achieve a certain asana by the end of the year. I think I may do that myself, and I'll make it...
visvamitrasana.
I've done this pose before, many times, but it requires an openness in the shoulders that eludes me more often than not. However, I know I can do it if I RESOLVE to do it.
And therein lies the revolution in my resolution, and one of the more beautiful aspects of how our asana practice can reflect our more profound spiritual aspirations; I can be the change I wish to see.
This year, Liz Belile resolves to create more, enjoy more time and space with her family, and bring about planetary healing. Oh yeah, and lose weight, quit coffee, and publish a new book of poems.
