shawnalight@gmail.com

Action

This week in my classes, after a hiatus in the month of March to be with goddesses during women’s history month, we are back inside the larger overarching intention of aspects needed when in the journey of life.  In the past, we’ve been through consideration of beginnings/starting a new, mastery versus success, surrender, and balance.  This week we take action!

 
Seated with the abahya mudra for fearlessness, protection, peace, dispelling fear, and following Dharma, we embarked in our practices into some kriya yoga. Kriya means “action, deed, effort”.  The beginning of patanjali’s second book in ‘The Yoga Sutras’ is all about practice, sadhana.  The practices laid out give a strong foundation for more subtler practices to follow, as well as the foundation for transformation and self-realization.  This second book starts out with the thread of wisdom that yoga in practice is a purification process, burning out negativity, blockages, old beliefs, and more.  It’s about having all these things removed so that we may meet our true essence within, we can know love.  Once we begin to understand this, but more importantly, to feel this, then it becomes easier to begin to take actions out in the world from an aligned place within our self.
 
“How wonderful it is that nobody need to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”-Anne Frank. You don’t need to wait a single moment because you’re reading these words now.  And in reading these words, hearing these words, receiving these words, you’re in the practice. You’re taking action to change your thoughts and focuses towards positive. It’s imperative to start within One’s Self in order to realize how you are truly affecting the world, and therefore improving the world because you’re doing your own inner work. This self-study and inner work is svadyaya.  
 
Svadyaya, with ishvara pranidhana/surrender, and tapas/to burn, are the three major components of kriya yoga. 
 
Throughout my classes this week I constantly invited people to name their experience in the moment.  Whether it was a physical sensation of their body they were experiencing, or an emotion, or naming a thought that was present, or just simply naming each inhale and exhale; this practice of naming the moment drew them into the moment. This is surrender, opening our heart to the moment, giving ourselves over to the moment and the experience. Letting go into the love of the universe and trusting that as we take action of learning our true essence, as well as stepping out into the world, when we do these things first from a place of alignment within our self, then we need not worry.
 
“Decide whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying.”-Amelia Earhart.  This quote remind me of the component of discernment that we explored with the goddess Saraswati, read it here; which requires of us to be in resonance with our head and heart.
 
Being in the moment also offers us the spaciousness of being able to move without the weight of the past upon our shoulders, as well as not being pulled into the future. We can just be here now.  By being present in our bodies, we were able to move and to open, to strengthen, as well as take action. Action not only in our consciousness and our hearts, but also in our bodies.
 
Action can come in many ways shapes and forms.
 
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” -Martin Luther King Jr.
 
“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but by all means, keep moving.”-Martin Luther King Jr..  What incredible wisdom MLK, Jr. has.  The feeling that I get from this quote from Dr King is that no matter what your physical body may be capable or incapable of doing, you still can take action from the place within your heart and your mind. To always be choosing kindness, consideration, and compassion*.
*Compassion is next weeks class and blog!
 
Sometimes the transformation will come because of actions we take consciously and spiritually, and at other times the transformation will come because of actual physical movement and actions that we take out in the world.  “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”-Winston Churchill.
 
All of these practices from the mind, to the heart, to the body, burn out, “tapas,”  the negativity in the darkness within our self. All these practices are also the way to create, “tapas,” and lights the fire, the torch, that guides us to our deepest knowing of who we are ultimately, eternal and infinite.
 
“Stop being afraid of what can go wrong. Start being excited about what can go right.”-unknown
 
Align within your Self!
 
“Forget conventionalisms; forget what the world thinks of you stepping out of your place; I think your best thoughts, speak your best word, work your best works, looking to your own conscience for approval.”-Susan B Anthony
 
As much as I am a believer in our power of our thoughts and conscience, I’ve been loving this Irish proverb, “You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind”.  Sometimes, we just need to start, and take that first step in faith!  
 
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”-Wayne Gretzky
 
So, “whatever you do, always give a 100%. Unless you’re donating blood.”-Bill Murray
 
Love to all,
Shawna 
Breathe and Believe.