I am completely filled with GRATITUDE for
my experience this past weekend. I underwent the first half of the
Visual Yoga Certification with the Deaf Yoga Foundation's Lila Lolling.
There are no words to express what it is like to be connected with
people who are viewing the world the same way, who love yoga, who love
God, and are so willing.....so willing to be seen for who and what they
are; A perfect mess with their own path, their own aspirations, new
opportunities, new friendships and having some dreams come into clarity.
Have
you ever had an experience where someone sees you? I mean, really SEES
YOU. Not the physical you, but sees your SOUL; the energetic you, the
authentic you, the You that God made you to be?
Have
you ever wondered why sometimes a yoga class FEELS like it was
specifically designed for YOU and YOU alone? It was as if the teacher
could see what was going on within you and encouraged you to explore it,
resolve it, reconcile, let go of it?
Have
you ever stopped to wonder what it would be like to actually SEE
someone soul to soul? How would that look? How would you feel? How
would they feel? We often see things through our various filters and
often times we are so wrong....judging without realizing, formulating
opinions in an instant, jumping to conclusions, basing things on past
experience rather than the present moment, or hurrying through rather
than waiting for God's guidance.
What
does it feel like to be in a situation where you ARE the fish out of
water? Where you have to be raw....and just be there and trust that the
other person will love you anyway and come around you to help, to lead,
to mentor or simply to just BE with you?
This
past weekend was all of those things for me. To simply BE the fish out
of water and trust that my love for yoga, my love for God, and my love
for my students would simply just be seen. There was nothing I could do
to express the gratitude not only for the teachings I received, but
also for the presence of fellow teachers, interpreters, and students.
My voice was never heard and my hands were clumsy, my brain was racing
and then.....yoga.....Breathe...and simply BE. Connected with God and
trusting that He would unfold in and through me whatever was within His
will.
It
was amazing to connect with everyone present, to hear everyone's
stories, to hear their path which brought them to the studio.....to yoga
and drawn to help make yoga accessible to everyone. Since my voice
would not be heard, it was simply me being me....soul to soul contact.
Soul to soul communication, intention, love, support, and
encouragement. Each person was a fish out of water: teachers teaching
visually and using their hands to communicate in a foreign language,
interpreters learning the ebb and low of a yoga class and where they can
best be seen to relay meaning, love, and support, students undertaking a
modality that is new (for some brand new) and to trust that others
would navigate the process for them and not leave them behind.
It
brought me back to why I love yoga so much and why being a fish out of
water is one our greatest teachers. It brings us back to the basics of
being one of God's magnificent children connected to all other beings
regardless of background, heritage, language, or culture. We are to
create community, soul to soul community, to see others and let
ourselves be seen. Being raw is so hard, so scary, but also so
freeing. It frees us to let go of boundaries, labels, etc in order to
trust that God has a bigger plan, a bigger kind of love that transcends
all of our understanding. We can actually catch a glimpse of this in
each person we encounter.
So
my challenge is this--can we as a community allow ourselves permission
to SEE others and not just look at them? Can we allow ourselves to BE
SEEN and not our mask?
Let's
try to be the change we want to see in the world, soul to soul, side by
side, sharing in love and community with one another and those we have
yet to meet.......Onward.
Namaste (Truly.....NAMASTE)
Trish
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