It feels pretty outrageous to have a space of time ahead of me this summer to craft my offerings for the fall. I am so grateful to the Tribe–those dedicated and loving individuals who showed up on their mat, week after week, to dive deeper into their practice and the teachings and meaning of yoga.
Today was the last week of my classes and I was desperately seeking parting words. It felt akin to seeking the right words when parting from my kids who are now young adults…desperately seeking for some brilliant wisdom…and something like “make good choices” is all that I can blurt out. After all, they have probably learned all they are going to from me–at least the big stuff.
So in searching about for something more profound than “make good choices,” I landed on Ahimsa, the first of the Yamas in the ancient yoga text by Pantanjali, called the Yoga Sutras. It’s a text that offers a path of right living, and is over 2,500 years old. The Sanskrit word Ahimsa translates into “nonviolence,” which I admit sounds pretty assumptive–so to clear the air here, I am not presuming that anyone is outwardly violent. Ahimsa suggests just the opposite: a loving compassion for all beings, all people, including oneself (self compassion).
Focusing at the heart, the center of compassion and love, we paused or a Loving Kindness Meditation to really sink into it a bit deeper. So rather than “make good choices,” I’ll leave you with this: lead and choose from this place of compassion. If we all did that, imagine what a beautiful world it would be.
Happy Summer!