“Abundance is not defined by posessions, but it is defined by inner perceptions.” — Debasish Mridha

Weekly Focus: Sutra 1:36 Visoka va jyotismati 

Visoka va jyotismati is taken from the Yoga Sutras and translates as: Or, [by concentrating on] the light within, which is free from all suffering and sorrow.

Sutra 1:36 reminds us that by focusing on our abundant light and divinity from within, we can free ourselves from the strife of the every day. To reach this awareness, we release ourselves from attachment to the abundance of the material world. It is through the act of meditation that we learn to still and settle the thoughts of the mind. Through this practice we may begin to experience more calm and balance in the mind, leading to a general state of contentment.

As we enter the last few weeks of Summer, we see the world around us spring into it’s most fruitful and abundant nature. This is a time to harvest — fruits, vegetables, seeds are plentiful, and all of this abundance comes from within the plants themselves. We too are full of abundance, like the plants around us. In yoga, we seek to rid ourselves of attachment to the every day, as this can often be a distraction to where our true abundance lies. This sutra says it all — yoga focuses not on the abundance of the external, material world, but on our inner potency, our inner ability to feel full and gleaming with light.

It is not unnatural to partake in the material abundance around us. To be human naturally calls you towards experience, but it is the over indulgence of experience that can lead to sorrow. Yoga reminds us to seek balance, not just in our poses but within our everyday action. Balance in what we take in, balance in our relationships, and balance in activity, etc, etc.

What distractions can we remove so that this vision of ourselves becomes more clear? Where is our life tipping off balance in a way that dis-serves the heart?

Here are [3] practices to take to bring more balance and intention into your life:

1. Make at least one meal each day very special. Perhaps eat with friends or loved ones, sit at a table, and begin your eating together in community. Enjoy conversation, eat slowly, and indulge in each separate bite. How slowly can you savor the food? Just notice the impact of these small adjustments. What are you satiating beyond your appetite?
2. Start your day with a meditation, before even rising from bed. If you share a bedroom, grab those earbuds / headphones to keep it quiet! You may stay recline or sit up just enough to lightly awaken your senses. Listen to a meditation focused on gratitude. At the end of the day, take some time to consider how that meditation may have impacted the start to your day. Meditating immediately before leaving bed may help to set a tone of intentionality and abundance before you ever have time to think otherwise.
3. Try reading a book, slowly, before binge-watching your next TV series. Seriously, try to slow down your reading! A book can present very differently when we read a paragraph, but then perhaps re-read it. You might pick up something new that you hadn’t caught before, or sometimes it just allows the words to settle in a different way. You may not re-read every paragraph, but when something strikes you, allow yourself to pause and give it another look. Words and art are impactful, and it can often take a second look to really capture the full abundance of what you are taking.

Invite more abundance into your every day life. It is likely already there inside of your — you may just require a little more space to let it’s line shine through brightly. By slowing down and taking in less, we declutter the mind and allow our inner radiance to become illuminated.

Passive Pose of the Week:  Prasarita Padottanasana (standing wide leg fold)

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Allow yourself to take up space and feel abundant in your body with this spacious fold.

• Stand with your feet about 3 – 4 ft apart.
• Adjust the feet as necessary to be comfortable. Some of us may prefer a slight turnout in the feet, while others will enjoy the toes straight forward.
• Bring your hands to your hips, and while hinging at the hips, fold forward with a long spine.
• Allow your hands to release to the floor or to blocks.
• Spend 5 – 7 breaths here, allowing the upper body to get heavy, and start to drape towards the floor.

This posture is abundant in a variety of lovely variations to access all sorts of delicious stretches. Sometimes however, we get so excited about moving around in a pose, that we forget to pause and simply savor where we are at. Once you find your fold, give yourself a few moments of wiggle time — shift left and right, shake the head, try a twist or a side bend. From this movement, find one place where you can pause and breath for several moments, enjoying the space you are in right there.

Active Pose of the Week: Utthita parsvakonasana (extended side angle)

pronunciation CLICK HERE

Create abundant space for the breath and prana to travel through the body with this big side bend.

• Begin in a Warrior II: stand with your feet 3 – 4 feet apart on your mat. Turn your right toes to the top of the mat and bend into your right knee. Left toes will stay pointed to the long edge of your mat.
• Starting with your arms at wide at shoulder height, begin to lean into the side of the right body, reaching out over the right leg.
• Bring your right forearm to rest on top of your right thigh. Your left arm can reach up to the ceiling, or reach over head.
• Press the right forearm lightly into the right thigh, to help create more space between your ribs and your thigh.
• Turn your gaze anywhere that feels comfortable on your neck, to the ceiling or the floor or, anywhere in between.
• Take 3 – 5 breaths, and imagine breathing deeply into your left ribs. Switch sides.

If you find it hard to get a good lean in your extended side angle, try bending more deeply into your front knee. A deeper bend will create more space for the body to lean forward and extend, and shorten the distance that your elbow has to meet the thigh. If it gets tiresome on the thigh, try taking this in a chair! Grab a dining or folding chair, anything that doesn’t have arms, and straddle the seat with your Warrior II legs. This removes the effort from the legs and allows you to focus more on big abundant breaths in your lateral bend. You may not always take this position in classes, but it can be a lovely addition to your office or home yoga practice, when you need a little stretch in the middle of your day.

Join us in class this week to let your inner light shine! See the fulll schedule HERE.