Gather!

2017 November 22
by admin

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I write this post to you, I have realized that after months of our pond being covered in duckweed, an abundant green algae, that looked like a plush wall- to- wall carpet that I was tempted to try and vacuum off, it has come back to us!

The duckweed has sunk, and I can actually see the water. I can see the wind creating swirls and currents, and the geese splash and play with each other on the surface, reveling in the clearness of it all. I can see the reflection of the golden trees, and the soft reflection of the studio lights in the evening. I knew it would eventually happen. It makes me happy. The pond can breathe again.

There is a tradeoff though. Summer has gone. When the first cold day arrived, I said, “Wait! I’m not ready yet!” I mourned for the serene nights when the peepers and night creatures sang and the joyful soprano sounds of birds and their babies awakened us in the summer mornings. In their place now are the louder sounds of the larger birds, the crows and geese and the sharp quacking of the ducks.

The air is crisp and cold, as it should be this time of year.  The leaves are falling, creating large piles that blow willy-nilly over the yard as though they are dancing with each other.

We hurry into the studio, jackets clutched closely to us, shivering. The space in front of the fireplace is a coveted one now!

As each year unfolds and flows to another, we continue to gather. There are many of us who have been practicing here for years, getting to know each other’s stories and habits. We celebrate babies being born, we comfort each other when loved ones pass away, marvel as children grow and begin their independent lives.

We continue to greet new friends every day, sharing their excited expectation of what this practice will bring to their lives. Seeing our own practice with new eyes.

I have noticed that each year, the months go faster and faster. If you don’t pay attention, whole months and seasons can slip by. Suddenly, I feel older! I think it makes me wiser. I can’t think that it doesn’t.  I have seen a lot. After all, I was alive when there were no cell phones and we wrote letters to each other! My college clothes have gone in and out of style several times.

Let’s be honest, it has been a strange year. Each day brings new surprises. Some are wonderful, and some leave us shaking our heads and saying words I don’t want to write here.

The order of things has been changed. What we have taken for granted is no longer the case. The way we treat each other in this world seems to have shifted.

And yet, I maintain hope. I have to. I want to. I insist on it.

I have lived my life in a state of positive vibrations for so long that it is impossible for me to think otherwise. I see the good in people. I believe things will change for the better. I am grateful for the things in my life that bring me joy.

Each time I teach a class, I remind people that their life is good; that there is goodness in all of us if you can read between the lines of their lives.

I believe when we raise our own vibration we raise the collective vibration, and I know we are more alike than we are different.

My greatest wish is that you will see you are a lightworker.  Each and every one of you!

So on this day of being grateful for our families, our loving animals, our homes, our practices, I invite all of you to gather and hold one another, in joy and in love, with tolerance, and understanding.  To reach out to someone you may not have reached out to before. To make a difference in someone’s life who is sad, or lonely or frightened. To decide what is really important to you, instead of waiting until the last day of your life or the day you realize you are not going to live forever and you say “Wait a minute! I’m not ready yet!”

I am grateful for all of you, and I thank you for giving us a chance to help create change, to move our bodies in a dance with our breath, to gather with family and friends with warmth and compassion, to stretch to our fullest potential, and to love our life.

Much love to all of you,

Liz

 

from → Yoga