these trips never fail to rewire what needs rewiring - whether it feels good or not. sadhana is a life long journey - if done correctly (and we're always recalibrating), our practices allow us to hold greater degrees of seemingly contradictory life experiences, and the challenges that arise within the human heart around these opposing forces, with a bit more grace and wisdom.
the trick is that we need to show up with effort, devotion, consistency and with energy and enthusiasm for this work. this includes self and scripture study, and ultimately a relinquishing of our expectations of the results of our personal practice. this relinquishing should involve a handing over to something greater than ones small self. this part yields great rewards.. if one can truly drop expectations.
a relationship with ashtanga yoga has great potential to slowly and methodically transform a practitioner from the inside out. however, a magical piece that lands so hard for many of us these days as our culture continually digs its heels into verbal explanation, ideas, and (over) thinking - is that these practices aren't meant to be figured out through intellect. they are experiential in the very fact that they are meant to realign our vibratory being in a way that dissolves the illusion of separation. cool idea right?! ha.
daily practice is an opportunity to bring balance, stability, and the medicinal properties that come along with setting aside a time of the day where we're not overanalyzing, shaping our behavior to please someone else, or chasing external gratification. it is a time to remind ourselves that in our essence we are whole, already. not only are we loved, but we are the embodiment of love itself.
most of my days here are up at 3:30am to slowly prepare for practice. practice at 5am. i meet my daughter outside the shala after where we watch and feed the cows, read books, and i come back to planet earth a little. many dosas have been eaten, and we spend many late mornings at WAG, a beautiful animal rescue place here. many of the animals have been struck by vehicles and left to die on the side of the road. i volunteer here each visit to goa. some of you might remember we did some fund raising for WAG some years ago. i prepare food for the cows, and linda and my daughter spend time with the dogs, rabbits, cats, tortoise, and a cockatoo. in the afternoons we swim in the sea, hand-wash clothes, and visit local temples. it is how india is; somehow simple, somehow totally chaotic.
