Feeling Good

Some days when I wake up in the morning, I don’t want to do my yoga practice. I think it will be hard…too hard.

But if I lie down on my mat and begin to move in a way that feels good it’s easy.

‘IN A WAY THAT FEELS GOOD’ is the important part here. Not in a way that is supposed to feel good or in a way that I think might benefit me somehow or in a way that makes me a devoted student. My practice is EASY if I move in a way that truly FEELS GOOD.

If I take the limitations and goals out of the equation then my practice can be my time in the morning to simply feel good.

Laura

Lessons in Impermanence

Lessons in Impermanence

On October 5^th, I was standing in my living room when I looked out my window and saw a beautiful, full double rainbow. It was absolutely breathtaking. I walked onto my balcony and took several pictures and video and fully absorbed the moment.

It is moments like this that teach us a powerful lesson in impermanence. Rainbows are rare events and they are unbelievably beautiful, and they usually only last a few minutes. When I saw the double rainbow, I stopped everything I was doing and stood outside until it faded. I took in every moment and was completely present.

If we lived life knowing in every moment that everything is impermanent, would it change the way that we live? Would we slow down our minds so that we could listen 100% to what people are saying instead of thinking about what we’re going to say next in the conversation? Would you call the people that you love more often? Would you worry less and play more?

I also received a phone call from a friend this week who told me she had been in a car accident. She is a close friend of mine and I hadn’t spoken to her in awhile. Luckily, she was okay and walked away from the accident with only a bit of neck/shoulder pain. But, this experience made me appreciate her more and appreciate our friendship. Why had I taken so long to contact her?

This week, contemplate that everything is impermanent. Knowing this, will you live life the same way? Or, does it change everything in your world? Impermanence, especially our own impermanence, can be scary for some people to think about. But, there is also a beauty in it as well. Understanding this concept can be a key to being completely in the moment, in the ‘now,’ and doing the things that mean the most to us.

Shyra Rawson, Reiki Practitioner

Healing as a Community

Healing as a Community

On Friday, October 1^st, I attended the potluck at the Lotus Centre, followed by Kirtan with Brenda McMorrow on her ‘Love Abounds Tour.’

At the potluck, I had the pleasure of meeting a lot of interesting people. Everyone brought a vegan dish and the food was great! The Kirtan afterwards was so beautiful because of the energy from the music and also because a room full of people were all participating. There is something very powerful about 70+ people in a large yoga studio singing together. Some people even got up and danced.

Because I am new to London, having moved here in mid-August from Toronto, I feel that I am more open and observant now than I was a few months ago when I was in my comfort zone and in the communities that I knew in Toronto. The Lotus Centre is still relatively new to me, but I now truly appreciate the healing power of community.

In a community of like-minded people, we have the chance to express ourselves for who we truly are. We are appreciated for our own wisdom and knowledge. It is even more powerful to participate in healing circles as a community because sharing healing experiences creates strong bonds and makes us feel united and one with others. It makes us feel like we aren’t alone and that others are going through similar experiences.

Going to these events at the Lotus Centre inspired me to reflect more on community and what it means to be part of a community. Here are some questions that you can reflect upon this week:

·        What community/communities are I currently part of?

·        What do I get from being part of these communities?

·        What does my involvement with these communities say about me?

·        Do I relate to the people in my communities and do they relate with me?

·        Are there any communities that I would like to join?

·        Do I want to create any new communities?

Community can be a beautiful thing if we are part of communities that inspire us to be our best, authentic self. This week, appreciate the communities that you are part of, whether it is your group of friends, your family, your church, or places like the Lotus Centre. You are loved, and you are blessed.

Namaste.

Shyra Rawson
Reiki Practitioner