You know how yoga and the spiritual community in general are oftentimes painted with this uber positive I-love-everyone we-are-all-perfect-and-empowered undertone? We are all "love and light" and we reject unpleasant things. "Don't show violence. It is going to affect our frequency." "All positive vibes only." "Don't complain." "Don't talk about politics." Don't get me wrong. I like the positivity, but I think it's also important not to get caught up in a fantasy, in a projection of perfection, to pick and choose and even romanticize only the positive, but forget that there are shadows lurking within ourselves, in others, and in the world around us.
The focus of the month is called open doorways, and I think for us to actually open doorways to our freedom, we have to take it all in, not just the positive, not just the good parts, but even the darkness and the shadows and the flaws and the setbacks that we see. One of the barriers that keeps us from the doorway of freedom is the mistaken notion that things have to be "perfect", that we have to be "perfect", that others have to be "perfect". Can you see how that could be a formula for chronic unhappiness, given that none of those criteria are realistic? If we want freedom from pain, we have to make peace with something we might not quite like: surrender. If we want to open the doorway to living fully, we have to accept reality as it is, the whole of it. The gesture namaskar with hands together is a symbol of the union of opposites-- left and right, sun and moon, male and female, light and darkness, and so on. Our very existence thrives on the union of these opposites, and to see only one but not the other denies our wholeness. So think of the traits you have that you tend to show others, the characteristics that you take pride in, the parts of you that you like strengthened-- accept that. Then think of the parts of yourself that you tend to hide, traits you may think are flaws, tendencies you perceive needs improvement, characteristics you may wish to get rid of-- accept that too. Accept that you are whole as you are. Acceptance does not come as a result of some conditions being fulfilled. Acceptance must come, right here, right now, with no strings attached. To accept does not mean to be passive; instead, it means to unconditionally embrace all that we are, and take action from a place where guilt and blame do not exist. Now in your mind, begin to see yourself as a whole person, and understand that perfection has nothing to do with it. I accept. I accept. I accept.
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March 2020
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