When we
were moving from Chicago 6 years ago, I came to New Jersey on a whirlwind tour
of houses and preschools. Since we had moved around a bunch while my
older children were little, I had seen many, many preschools, but when I walked
into “the one” and met Grace*, within minutes of seeing her classroom, her
interactions with the children, and having a brief conversation with her, I
knew she was the one my son needed to be with. She was such a source of help
and strength for me that, a couple of months into that first year, I told her I
was going to have to have another baby so we could stay in the school for many
more years and she could keep helping me learn how to be a good parent.
So I did, and now my 3rd child has had her for several years, and my middle son
has continued learning from her in the religious school program. Over the years
she was someone I went to for advice about parenting and childhood issues - even
when my children weren’t her students at the time - and she has always been
there for me with a listening ear and thoughtful, helpful, relevant advice.
(*Grace is
a private person, and I am purposely not listing the name of the school and
have changed her name to respect her privacy).
I learned
last week that her husband has had metastatic cancer for the last 8 years. As
long as I have known her. She is a private person and didn’t want to bring her
sorrows to work, so none of her students or their families knew. What affected
me most deeply about this was how she was not only able survive herself and
support her husband and her own 3 children through this time, but that she
thrived. Instead of his illness beating her down, which I’m sure it must
have in some ways, over the time I have known her she has evolved as a teacher,
always learning and doing what is best for the children. She shifted and
changed the class’s curriculum based on her learning and the needs of the
students, she presented at teaching conferences, developed a large online
following for her early childhood work, inspired and taught hundreds of
children, and coached me and so many other parents in being the best parents we
can be.
Humans are
powerful beings. We are manifestors and creators, but it’s easy to forget
we have that power, especially in the face of illness or injury. When
things aren’t going our way, it is so easy to feel like the victim, but there
is another way. Grace could have easily let this tragedy pull her down into a
dark place, she could have easily felt powerless in the face of the illness
eating away at her husband. Instead she harnessed the power she did have
to create stability and magic and radical growth for so many children.
It has been
a hard year for me personally. It feels like the bad news keeps coming. I keep
writing about it and about connecting to my power because it is what I need to
remember for myself. All of us have struggles - busy schedules, injuries,
illnesses, losses, and all of us are living in a toxic political climate in
which many of us feel very powerless. And yet, we have the ability to use
the power that is available to us to manifest amazing things in spite of, or perhaps,
in some mysterious way, because of it. I remember hearing an interview with the
Great Mohammed Ali a few years ago, in which his speech was so slurred due to
Parkinson’s disease that they had to have subtitles on the screen so we could
understand what he was saying. The interviewer asked how he got through
every day, this man who had been the pinnacle of strength, fitness, and
vitality for so many years, but who now could barely even speak. He
replied “By doing what I’ve always done, focusing on what I can do rather than
what I can’t.”
When we
practice yoga, we harness the power of the muscles and bones to transform our
bodies. We harness the power of the breath to create vibrancy and health and
connect to that which is infinite and ineffable inside us. We harness the power
of the divine flow of life that moves through us to create the life we desire.
It works. I have been able to use this practice to transform my own life. When
I reflect back, I can clearly see all the ways that I have used my power to
transform and shift and change things that needed to shift during times that I
was particularly attuned to it. It’s easy for me to write about this, but
the practice requires work. It’s not even such hard work, but it does
require dedication and commitment. We have to get on the mat or
meditation cushion every day and DO it, do the practice. Doing so keeps us
connected the inextinguishable spark of life inside us that is beyond our
humanness, so the light of who we really are will rise up in the moments we
need it to. Which, if we’re being honest, is pretty much every moment. As
Christina Sell writes: “yoga [is] not a “time out” from a busy or stressful
life, but [is], instead, a training in warriorship, a preparation for service,
and an exercise in compassion.” Train on my friends.
Off the Mat:
Notice all
the ways you feel “the victim” in your daily life. All the times “Why
me?” thoughts arise. When they do arise, focus your attention back to
your power of manifestation. Remember what it is you want to bring forth in
your day, in your life, and guide your awareness back to those thoughts and
actions. It is helpful to have a mantra or affirmation you can repeat to
yourself in these moments to help turn your mind in the right direction.
 |
| Springtime is the perfect time to tap into your power of creation, when life is exploding into glorious wonder around you. |
On the Mat:
Harnessing
your power of manifestation starts with a vision. Springtime is the
perfect time to begin planting seeds you want to grow. What do you wish to
manifest in your life? What do you want to create? Really, it all
starts with love, the ultimate creative force of the universe. What do
you love? What wants to come forth, through you? In each pose you create
in your practice, begin with a vision, this is the moment of Opening to Grace
where we soften and recognize our power. Then practice poses that reflect that
highest vision you have for yourself, ones that help you connect to your power
to create beauty and strength and express your intention through your
practice.
For the Anusara junkies:
Open to
Grace: Soften and open to the power of the universe that exists inside you.
Feel the
power of the universe that comes to you as the breath, each time you inhale
imagine you are bringing in all you wish to draw to yourself today.
Soften and
know that even though we don’t have ultimate power over everything, we have the
power to choose our experience in each moment.
Muscular
Energy: Draw to midline to connect inside to the power of creation
Hug in to
the place inside that is untouchable by the human challenges we all face.
Activate the
wonder twin powers of your legs to manifest (your pose)
Turn on the
power of your legs to ignite your creative power.
Organic
Energy: Expand the dynamic potentiality of your power through your whole body.
Expand your
vision into your being.
Shine the
highest vision of your heart out to light up the world around you.
