September 2020 | Grace Under Pressure

Grace Under Pressure

What if the purpose of our life is to let our kind nature spread out into the world?

For many of us, everything as we know it, both personally and collectively is shifting, changing, and in my case, maybe even crumbling.  Ernest Hemingway described courage as "grace under pressure" in a letter he sent F. Scott Fitzgerald from Paris.  This type of courage allows one to rise to a dangerous situation and maybe even summon an unexpected strength, and is certainly admirable.  However, there is another type of courage, one that is perhaps more inspiring and mysterious because it arises from a place deep within us, and requires a persistent and strong will, often times over an extended period of time. A will that pushes us and encourages us, under the most painful circumstances, to find a way to bring out out our kindest nature.
 

This inner courage becomes the ground of quiet efforts, from which the more visible actions sprout. These are the ways of living and being that make courage possible in the first place; not just as an event, but as an approach to life, as a way of life.  Courage is not always found in a moment. It is an accumulation of virtue we have cultivated, which forms a moral belief system, upholds a life of value, and guides us towards deeper faith.
 

Sometimes during a life shattering experience, or even what feels like one, we can have a wide range and expanse of human emotions including grief, despair, anger, hope, expansive joy and excitement. And this is not uncommon, nor is it a sin. We may find ourselves oscillating between two states sometimes rapidly and intensely, and sometimes in the very same moment. It does not mean we are crazy, it means we are human. To be present with and feel that range, can bring about a spaciousness that is needed. To allow space for all of it can help us find the room of choice in a given moment. When we feel like we have a choice, we can find a more positive path forward.

Our life as a whole isn’t determined, identified, or ruled by only one aspect, and whether or not that aspect is working or not working. What I am learning is that my life is so much more than that. What I am learning through deep grief, sorrow, loss, and anger is that continuing to open my heart to the whole world, and walking my path with commitment and devotion to the people in it, is ultimately more meaningful than what I see as hardships or failures. This deeper purpose gives breath to courage.  And while it could include a "grace under pressure" shining moment, it's the invisible silent daily steps that could easily be missed because it is forming a gate to life and a way of being. It's what makes me get up out of bed every day, and find a way to sleep peacefully at night. I want to live a life that I can be proud of.

Even as I write these words of wisdom from my soul to yours, I am also in recognition that I may not sustain these sentiments or feelings through what feels like a life altering and surreal shift of my reality. But I write them anyway. We write what we need to hear, and we often even teach what we need to hear. And it’s tapping into that honest place (where we all have ups and downs, and may even have moments where we feel like we can’t go on), that allows us to rise again.  Through the knowledge of this shared human experience---that others are also going through (and have gone through) deep hardships, we can pull ourselves up from the bottom with hope, courage, and a will to move forward no matter what. A positive outlook is not a form of denial; rather, it’s a conviction that even our deepest grief has meaning; that our trials and tragedies bring understanding and transformation more than superficial knowledge ever could.

We cannot control what others do or don’t do, how they feel or don’t feel, and sometimes there’s no point in trying to understand it. Some roads lead to nowhere. But there is always a road that leads us from the darkness to the light, from hatred to love. If you are in a time of suffering, grief or pain, I pray you can hold on to the belief that your sorrow may yet be transformed into happiness deeper than you could have imagined.

I leave you with a poem that touched my heart.

After A While

After a while
you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn love doesn't mean leaning and company doesn't always mean security.
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't always promises
and you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and and your eyes ahead with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers
And you learn that you really can endure, that you really are strong and you really do have worth and you learn and you learn
with every good-bye you learn.

Author: Veronica A. Shoffstall
 

Love for the journey,

Anisha

Summer Solstice 2020 | A Polarizing Solstice

These are times of hard truths surfacing for all to see – the recent tragic events in the USA are just one more eruption of the insidious and profound injustice that poisons communities every day. The global pandemic is a consequence of countless predatory and barbaric choices humanity has perpetrated against the ecosystem – and ultimately against itself.

Lately these timeless truths are staring us down mercilessly. None of us alone has the power to implement "the" solution to the challenges facing us, but we can each contribute to specific solutions. We can listen, learn, speak up, cultivate change from our inner seat of empathy, courage and right relationship. We can reward honesty, and support ethical and moral stances. We can do it in so many creative ways, from praying to marching, writing poetry to supporting the homeless, treating everyone with respect, voting, the list is very long. There is no lack of opportunities.

In nature, the Summer Solstice is a time of expansion that promises abundance. Our soul and heart wish to follow nature’s lead and look outside, towards peak experiences of fullness, maturity, hope, and growth. How interesting it is to look at the global situation of this year through the lenses of the Solstice. I find myself in a time warp, where the Summer external expansion into fullness is colliding with the Winter call for retreat into contemplation. It is a time of polarizing contradictions. Heartwarming examples of clarity, generosity, beauty and creativity abound in the news and social media. On the other hand, exploitation, injustice, greed, and unbridled racism rage and devour.

More than ever, we must be mindful and selective in allocating our resources of time and effort for impact, and take good care of our body, soul and psyche because we need all the balance we can muster. Inspiring others is not necessarily about teaching, preaching or lecturing. It is not about being perfect, saintly, or "right". It is about humbly "being", being human, being our best self, and that carries tremendous power. It ignites what is “right” within others: their own initiative, self-value, thoughtfulness, and creativity catch on fire.

I invite you to explore this question I proposed to my yoga students last week.

"Who do I need to become to create the world in which I want to live in?"

  The power of compassion can help us to embrace the challenge, let go of what's necessary, and move forward in our quest for personal and social justice, through the eyes of open-ness and tolerance, allowing us to meet conflict with equanimity, calm and a broad heart.

THIS FRIDAY JUNE 26, I will guide you in expanding your heart’s capacity for true compassion through Pangu Yoga, meditation and contemplation. Pangu Yoga is a powerful tool to help us live and act in ways that dissolve barriers to bring a feeling of oneness with all of creation, a deeper respect for Great Nature, and to move forward as one human race.

Love for the journey,

Anisha  

June 2020 | Breath is Life, Together We Rise

Do you think it’s a coincidence that George Floyd died because he couldn't breathe (under the hateful knee of a police officer), during the same time that the Coronavirus (that potentially makes it hard to breath), sweeps our nation and the world? Do you think it’s a coincidence that while we were all sheltering in place, the earth’s lungs finally got a chance to breathe and heal? If you believe in a rational power greater than yourself, then the answer is very simple. These events have forced us to wake up and pay attention. The Universe and it's Rational Power is begging us to be better humans.

As someone who has suffered from asthma since the age of three, I have a pretty clear idea of what it’s like to gasp for air and not know if you’re going to make it. Not being able to breathe can kill you. It’s that simple. Breath is Life, and when we maliciously take that life away from anything, it goes against the laws of Nature and the meaning of being human. When we selfishly pollute the planet, when we wound each other emotionally, or kill each other physically, when we discriminate against others and believe that their lives, their breath, is less valuable than our own, there will be consequences. The Great Nature, the Creator, God, an All Knowing and Rational power, will make adjustments to all of creation so that we can thrive in a healthier, more harmonious way, and understand that we truly are equal as a human race, and the only way towards real justice is to rid ourselves of all hate, so only love and respect for all of creation remain.

I can’t breathe. Who has taken your breath away and who’s breath have you taken away?

It’s easy for any of us to say that we don’t accept or condone racism or exclusion of those of any skin color. It's easy to write it, to say it, even to outwardly demonstrate standing in solidarity. But can we BE it, not just on one day, but every day? I've received plenty of those emails this week, and it's easy to see which ones vibrate with sincerity and heart. As a POC I have experienced discrimination on many levels; however, I do not pretend to understand the depths of this crisis, nor the pain that is arising in such raw ways right now, but if we are to truly stop the inequality that perpetuates the “us” and “them," then we have to look at the hatred we ALL carry. We are lying to ourselves and others if we believe that we don’t contribute to racism and discrimination. By saying we don't condone something is also implying that we're not doing it. Now is the time to pause, reflect, listen, educate ourselves, and act in support of a just and equitable society by transforming ourselves.

Making noise can ignite peaceful and effective change, and can certainly begin to shift the external systems that demoralize, diminish and cause unjust pain. Without strong policy that will serve the entirety of the community, statements and speeches mean nothing. We can talk about equity forever, but they are empty words without a change in the way resources are divided and distributed in our city and all cities. But this can't be where it ends if we are to create lasting changes.

I know in my deepest being that cultivating the energy and power of Love, ALWAYS makes things better for me and the people around me. It’s especially difficult to do something that is quiet and more subdued, because, on the one hand, it doesn’t feel like you’re doing much or making a sweeping action for change. It also doesn’t draw attention to the fact that you’re doing something. And all of us want to be seen as part of the solution, and not part of the problem.

If we keep believing we are not part of the problem and only part of the solution, we as a society won’t get very far. It is hypocritical to say that none of us has any racism or discrimination. This hate is unfortunately part of the human condition, and we can only recognize to what degree we still have it when we are DEEPLY honest with ourselves. I recently asked my students a difficult question. It was difficult in many ways, but one I also participated in:

“Can you recognize the part of you that creates separation? ..the part of you that has even a minor stance of “us “ and “them”? Are you willing to relinquish the dissimilar to acknowledge the unity, that we are created equal, and the inherent oneness that we all truly share as one human race?".

This isn't a process that can be resolved in one moment, or even many. We have been conditioned by parents, teachers, society, and our own belief systems generated from that education. It will take an ongoing willingness to see ourselves more objectively, not by judging or shaming ourselves or others, but by witnessing those places of hatred in our hearts and learning ways in which to transform it. Striving for what is right, for equality, for justice, can look many different ways, and each of us must choose a path that brings more harmony and peace or we are simply adding to the problem. This is a universal teaching that comes from a deep place in the spiritual heart, a place that holds a Truth beyond religions, beyond race, beyond the circumstances or situations of the world. We can find its trace in every culture.

This is something we CAN do each and every day within ourselves. These changes, though difficult to look at, are so vital to our progress forward. The microcosm is the macrocosm. The individual impacts the collective and the collective impacts the individual. We can’t forget the truth of that--ever.

May we grow together, into deeper empathy, deeper love, deeper inclusiveness, deeper respect, because that's what it will take to create the world we want to live in.

Love for the journey,

Anisha