“True yoga is not about the shape of your body, but the shape of your life. Yoga is not to be performed; yoga is to be lived. Yoga doesn’t care about what you have been; yoga cares about the person you are becoming. Yoga is designed for a vast and profound purpose, and for it to be truly called yoga, its essence must be embodied.” — Aadil Palkhivala
I absolutely love this quote. It can be so easy to get caught up in the outside -- what we look like, what we have, what we do, what are circumstances are. In this rush to validate ourselves from the outside in, we forget that what is important is who we are being.
My friend and I were chatting the other day and we touched on the topic of desires. I realized that in answering the question, "what do you want?", I was mostly naming how I wanted to feel and be as opposed to obtaining/having something. Perhaps that's a result of getting so much of what I'd always thought I wanted only to not feel all that happy about it. It's like the affliction of the New Age Law of Attraction folks -- I've manifested what I want...now what? Is there a return policy????
As you let go of who you've been and focus on who you're becoming, I highly recommend this meditative yoga practice by the fabulous Mark Whitwell:
It starts out with a lecture well worth listening to and then gets into a practice around 46:00 in. It finishes with a savasana accompanied by live music. It's a lovely practice. As Mark says, "Sublime human possibilities arise naturally, spontaneously, and unpredictably." Slowing down gives us the space to let go and allow it to arise. Enjoy this "participation in wonder" that you are.
Namaste!
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