There’s that saying: “the only constant in life is change.” Life itself is transient, our bodies, minds, thoughts, the earth we live on are all are constantly changing. Whether lightning quick or molasses slow, change is happening ALL THE TIME. Maybe we were really into yoga practice and then circumstances changed. We found it hard to get to class for whatever reason. The great thing about change is that it offers us an opportunity to “start again”—we can start fresh—it’s a kind of constant renewal.
Yoga is a path of transformation. It’s that very process of morphing from one form into another, or from one way of being into another. And between the old and the new, there are those fascinating places “in between”— the places we move through, the liminal spaces. You find yourself groundless between the two points—you’ve made the leap, knowing you cannot turn back, but unsure whether you will actually land.
In Sanskrit and Jyotisha (Vedic astrology), there are points of “sandhi” which are the junctures, the place where two things are coming together. Where two words join together, there may be a special rule applied to blend the sounds. In Jyotisha, there are junctures between two signs/rashis and while some of them blend easily, others (ie from Scorpio to Sagittarius) are points of instability or vulnerability because you making a shift from the energy of water into fire —those transitions are more difficult because of the opposing nature of those two elements.
We are soon coming to that transition between winter and spring, which is a time when we often feel the need to cleanse, to renew ourselves inside and out as we go into the new season. There are those transitional points in each 24 hour day cycle: where the nighttime meets the day is sunrise, and where the day meet the night, sunset: these are all transformational moments, though we can be unaware of the change that is underway.
I know from experience that life transitions (new job, moving house, divorce, etc) can be hard, stressful, and also exciting. Even starting a new course or class can be like that. Since I’ve been transitioning into this new endeavour, I am challenging myself to remain alert and watchful for the gross and subtle changes happening internally and around me. For example, who are the people who are showing up now? What new kinds of conversations are happening? What is especially compelling right now?
I recently took a walk with a yoga friend who expressed to me that they observed a change in my teaching since I launched this new platform — perhaps not an obvious change in the content, but that there has been a shift in the overall mood, an opening of some kind. (my paraphrase). And I have to agree, that the lens through which I see things has been refocussed. What did Guruji say? “Yoga does not just change the way we see things; it transforms the person who sees.” I feel so very fortunate that I am able to interact with people that have a longing to go deeper, to know themselves more intimately, and are drawn to be authentic and real. I feel like I have won the lottery.
I appreciate that we can take a ride together on this “cosmic bus” through this lifetime, whether for a short jaunt or a long-distance journey. You’ve been so generous in sharing your darling, radiant selves with me.
Om Tat Sat
