Glitter For Brains...{Yoga Sutras 1.34-37}

...Or, How To Quiet Your Mind

Lately I’ve been describing my mind as a snow globe filled with glitter, and all day long I walk around and the glitter shakes and swirls. So when I come to the yoga mat, or sit in meditation, I like to imagine that the glitter settles down, and I can see clearly the Statue of Liberty or tiny unicorn or whatever it is that’s in the middle there. My mind needs help to settle down; it’s not very good at just being quiet on its own. Thankfully for me, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras offer a whole host of methods to get the mind to be still. My very loose paraphrasing of Sutras 1.34-37 is as follows:

“The mind becomes stabilized by concentrating on the breath, the sensations of the body, the ever-present Light within, or some other being that is actually stable.”

All of these different methods can work for us. The breath is first, I think, because it’s the simplest and the most readily available. The sensations of the body help me to get out of my over-analytical brain and back into my arms and legs, fingers and toes, and remember that I’m not just a disembodied snowglobe walking around. The ever present Light within is a little more esoteric but connects me with that same Light that lives in all of us--I’m not alone in my experiences. Goddesses and gurus don’t really do it for me, but my favorite stable beings in town are the ancient oak trees in City Park. (Did you know some of them are more than 800 years old?)

There is no single approach to yoga. It’s a complex lineage with a varied history that all point back to the heart of this simple practice. Find what works for you to stabilize your mind, because when your mind is quiet, you're able to see yourself clearly, luminous and without separation.

Much love,

Bear

P.S. If you like what I write, sign up for weekly blog posts direct to your inbox by clicking here or filling in the form below! And if you want even more connection, find me on Facebook and Instagram.

Putting Your Yoga Into Action {Sutra 1.33 Maitri}

Nola to Angola

Practicing maitri:
Compassion for those who are suffering

This week in class we’ve been looking at ways to take compassionate action against injustice--how to take the lessons of the yoga practice off the mat, so to speak. As you’ve heard me say in class, the United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, and Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate of all fifty states, so we’re currently living in the prison capitol of the world.

And the way we incarcerate people largely depends on the color of their skin--black people are imprisoned at rates six times higher than white people, to say nothing of other populations that are also disproportionate imprisoned. This is big, systemic, messed up stuff we’re talking about.

Yoga, to me, is not a means for escaping the overwhelming, distressing realities of our world and culture. Rather, it’s a way to find steadiness inside myself so I’m able to be more present to these realities, which is the first step to undoing them.

Nola to Angola is a solidarity bike ride that aims both to raise awareness about our prison problem in Louisiana, and to raise funds for the Cornerstone Builders Bus Project, which provides free buses for New Orleanians to visit their loved ones in prisons across the state. These buses are often the only way people can travel to prisons, and the parents and children, spouses and friends that arrive on these buses are often the only visitors that inmates ever get.

For the past two years I’ve donated half the proceeds of one class to Nola to Angola. This year, I’m sending in half the proceeds from the whole week’s worth of classes. Lots of you gave extra to go straight to support this effort, bringing our total for the week to nearly $200. And if you didn’t make it this week, or if you want to give a little more, visit nolatoangola.org. This is one small but concrete way we can extend our compassion to those who are suffering.

It's notable here that Nola to Angola is just one organization doing work around prison issues. Many organizations, including lots of them that are helmed by people of color, have been doing this kind of work in New Orleans for years. If you're interested, you might check out BreakOut or VOTE. (Thanks to Lydia for pointing this out!) 

Let me know if you’d like to discuss these issues more--I’m always up for a talk!

Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu. May all beings everywhere be happy and free.

Much love,

Bear

P.S. If you like what I write, sign up for weekly blog posts direct to your inbox by clicking here or filling in the form below! And if you want even more connection, find me on Facebook and Instagram.