There are times that being a person may feel like it's too much that it wears us down, and the confusion and frustration and sense of helplessness can be overwhelming. During these times, we may point to the outside world, to an "other" and blame them for the state we are in. This "other" could be another person-- our partner, our mother, our child, our boss, our competitor, our president etc-- or another group of persons-- the government officials, the ones who voted for a particular person, a group of minorities whom we see as "weak" and somehow not as intelligent or sensible or (ironically) as compassionate as us. Left unexamined, our anger and hatred during trying times towards this "other" can destroy us, perhaps not right away, but a little bit at a time. It can destroy our hope, our enthusiasm, our faith, our peace of mind.
As yogis, our practice is to go deeper and explore what's underneath these symptoms: grief, pain, a sense of loss. We are faced with what seems to feel like collective grief, and seeing "others" not as persons merely adds to the collective anger. There is a tool that every single person can use to ground down. This tool also helps us see the simplicity in what appears to be complex. This tool is the breath, and the observance of this breath. The breath is the breath. It is neutral and yet it is the very basic function of life that sustains us. It is what we share with all persons. As you quiet down the breath, take a moment to let the fact sink in that you are breathing in the molecules of the breath of other persons. We are literally breathing each other. The breath does not discriminate, does not demonize, does not blame, does not hold grudges. The breath is equal opportunity in providing sustenance. By practicing yoga, we may think of ourselves as "spiritual", and yet my teacher Sharon Gannon reminds us that a spiritual being is anyone who breathes. One way that we can let go of our negative feelings towards "others" is to see them as spiritual beings like us, that is, they breathe just like us, they live just like us, they want to be free just like us. When the weight of the world feels heavy, when we feel lost, when we are overwhelmed by the suffering we see, we breathe. And through this breath that is connected to others, we work on finding peace.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
March 2020
|