blessings to you, sweet community of friends. what intensely powerful times are upon us! like many of us, I find myself working hard to not feed into fear, hatred, and despair in these times of uncertainty and change.
as a yogi, the heart of our practice is to try and meld the values of loving kindness into our every thought and action; to live our yoga as completely as we can. it is a challenge to break the enticing cycles within our mind, particularly the thoughts that turn us to blame/shame/judgement of ourselves and others. to heal, we must witness our thoughts and find the ones that pit us against each other. we must witness the parts of ourselves that crave righteousness over understanding, power over equality, negativity over trust and joy. the only way to find compassion is to see that all the multitudes of possibility that are represented in the world are also within us. we can only heal hatred once we have healed it in ourselves, for it is not possible to find a solution when you match the energy of the problem.
when we create space for inner reflection, we begin to see the ways in which we might be misaligned with what our heart truly seeks. we are given a opportunity to take our power back when we are able to (kindly) take ownership of the ways in which we are contributing to our own suffering. when I say power i am not referring to external power and prestige. i am talking about deep, earth-moving, cosmos-connecting, spirit-elevating, SOUL POWER. we must learn that we always have the power of our choice, and that choice begins with our thoughts. we must remember that happiness can never come from external sources. we must do the patient work of continuing to show up energetically in a space of openness and honesty.
with time and practice, we begin to see that peace begins inside, and the same with kindness, compassion, and love. as often as we can, our work is to cultivate and support a relationship with that eternal, wise observer within us. our work as yogi's is to connect to the part of us that knows how to surrender gracefully to the grand spiraling wildness that is life. when our wisdom gains traction in our awareness, we gift ourselves the spaciousness to carefully pluck away at thoughts and actions that don't align with that higher vision we have for ourselves and this world. when we allow inner wisdom to come forward, we connect to deep reserves of inner courage. a courage that allows us to take ownership of our darkness and confusion, to welcome it into our loving arms so true healing can begin. the work we do inside ourselves gives us an opportunity to learn about the depths of humanity.
friends, i say these words to you as I say them to myself. I implore you to be kind to yourself. let yourself feel the powerful sweetness at the root of you and all things. let judgement and blame begin to soften their hard edges through laughter, openness, and time alone doing what you love. let your inner sweetness out - into your relationships, your conversations, your actions, and your energy. your presence will inspire more of the same.
dear ones, the world needs our courage and light. let us choose goodness, together. let us rise up grounded in love, strong in our vision of healing, and be the change we wish to see in the world. let us stand up for those people in the world that are vulnerable to hatred and inequality right now. let us live our values in all that we do. let us love ourselves deeply enough to let ourselves be. let us extend kindness to everyone we can, regardless of ideology, race, or religion. if we want to truly heal, everyone must be included in the dream. we must work to find common ground, especially with the people we don't understand.
we are one. may peace prevail on earth.
I stand in solidarity with you friends - for the Earth, for equality, for love, for real change. I believe in us. i believe in good things coming.
love and blessings ~ sara rose