Patterning of Consciousness

I've been on a kick lately to help my yoga students really make a commitment to yoga and to understand why they should.  There is so much more to yoga than I teach. Most teachers do not really delve into the sacred texts, the Sanskrit writings, the "meat and bones" of what yoga is and why it works.... they don't want to scare or confuse their students.  And believe me, yoga can be very confusing unless you study and practice for a long time!  That's why a commitment is so important.

As I was preparing for my Restorative Yoga Day this weekend, I pulled out my 2 favorite Yoga "Bibles"...Patan'jali's Yoga Sutras and Stephen Mitchell's adaptation of The Bhagavad Gita,  all highlighted and post-noted beyond original recognition. Reading through these books is like coming home for me, I just get lost in remembering the truth, the wisdom that led me to yoga and kept me there in the first place.  I'm skimming through, looking for just the right quote or passage to start our day with and it dawns on me that I haven't ever really shared this with my students! Shame on me!  How can I call myself a Yoga Teacher and never share the Yoga Bibles?

So I begin with the first Sutra:

1. Now, the teachings of yoga.

2. Yoga is to still the patterning of consciousness. 

3. Then pure awareness can abide in its very nature. 

4. Otherwise awareness takes itself to be the patterns of consciousness.

Oh so true... so true!!  Perfect, I think to myself... It states exactly WHY we are doing yoga.  I turn to my husband, the winner of the top ten yogis award this year.... "See, honey!  Listen to this, this is why we do yoga!"

His response:  HUH??!  What the heck is patterning of consciousness?

Me:  Oh... yeah... that's why I don't teach this.  Not that I think my husband or my students wouldn't get it, but I know it's something you have to kinda read over and over... and let it simmer on your brain til it boils. 

I turn to my old friend, Bhagavad Gita-- much easier to understand.  THE BLESSED LORD SAID... Oh dear, this could be a minefield also.  I make it a practice to not "go there" religious-wise.  I don't want to offend the Christians by suggesting that Krishna is Lord or offend the Jews by suggesting that Christ is the Lord... ugh, people get so easily offended by labels and then they miss the message...just the word Lord upsets some people, I don't want the beauty of the Gita being bogged down by dissecting each word. 

What to do?  I DON'T want to sell yoga short.  I DO want people to understand why they are doing yoga, what it's really all about. How to share this in a non threatening way???  And then I realize...who the heck am I to decide that my students won't get it or that they may be offended in some way?  What gives me the right to withhold information from them for fear of losing them?  How ridiculous am I?  These are grown ups here.

So, I plunge in, reading from the Yoga Sutra to them bright and early Saturday morning.  Their response?

HUH?!!

LOL.  But then we had one of the most lively, enlightening discussions I had in a long time.  We took it line by line, understanding the patterns of consciousness and relating them to our lives.  I read to them during relaxation pose from The Bhagavad Gita, I actually saw one of my "Christian" friends wiping tears from her eyes at the beautiful text.  Quite a few of them had deep breakthrough experiences of enlightenment, one was even inspired to write her own poem, right on the spot, about the trees that we looked up to during our first yoga session outdoors.

And once again, I learned to untie my own pattern of consciousness by realizing I don't control the world.  Again. :)

The Warrior of the Light knows that no one is stupid and that life teaches everyone-however long that may take

He always does his best and expects the best of others.  Through his generosity, he tries to show each person how much they are capable of achieving.

Some of his companions say:  "Some people are so ungrateful."

The Warrior is not discouraged by this.  And he continues to encourage others because this is also a way of encouraging himself.

Warrior of the Light by Paulo Coelho... my other "Bible".

Namaste'

 

 

Reflection

I've been working on stuff for my Restorative Yoga Day tomorrow. It dawned on me that I haven't held a full day one since January of last year. Did 2 minis but I don't know what went on last year that made me unable to do this.... Think I was doing a lot of reflection, re-organizing, figuring out what to leave in and what to leave out. Last night Sheree & I were getting ready to leave after yoga and I was gathering my stuff for the yoga day and she was gathering her stuff to do a mandala workshop and we both paused and shared a moment of sadness for what might have been... but alas, things change. And it really is for the good of all but it would have been nice for things to be different.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love working on gifts and planning a retreat day and thinking of wonderful ways for people to relax and find their spirits and enjoy themselves? I love it almost as much as I love yoga so you can imagine I'm way over the top right now. The cool thing is that usually I do these events in other places so I have to carry a whole bunch of stuff and move a whole lot of furniture and am limited to what the rules and limitations of the places I do this at. It's wild because I keep thinking I have to pack stuff up and I realize I don't have to... and when I think of preparing food and storing it, the possibilities are endless cause it's all right here! So there can be many, many more choices... and I don't have to boil the water, put it in a carafe and carry it in my car without spilling it on me... I can make fresh tea. Right on the spot. How cool is that?

It's going to be a beautiful day. And hopefully, the start of a more regular schedule.... so it's not just once a year.

My cup runneth over.

And now I have towels to clean it up. Right here at my fingertips... I can't get over what a relaxing feeling this is.