#gravity

#gravity In my classes over the last several months I’ve talked about this idea of collaborating with gravity. Instead of just feeling the downward pull, there is the invitation (and activation) to harness the energy that roots you and transform it into what lifts you. And in shifting the relationship from a one directional force into a two directional relationship, there is a mutuality... a respectful and resourceful partnership with the earth. Today we visited the caves of the sage Vashistha, (Yogis in the house.. Vashisthasana, aka side plank.) Mythology suggests that he was in such despair after his children died that he tried to commit suicide by throwing himself in the Ganges River but the river wouldn’t let him die. Instead he was sent to the caves to figure out his shit (meditate). He stayed there for a few hundred years. The cave was tiny and full of people. At the very back of the cave sat a holy many praying at an altar. I couldn’t get close to him. But i could feel him. There was a pull at my heart. It wanted to know more. It wanted to be held there. It wanted to be healed there. I sat for awhile, trusting that what was supposed to land, would. Beyond the cave was a sea of rocks that served as the shore of the river. In the midst of the rocks i found my place and exchanged my body’s work for rest. With one hand at my chest and one hand at my belly i began to breathe between my heart and soul. My relationship with gravity shifted as it needed to in that moment. I surrendered. I was held. And i was healed. That’s the beauty of mutuality... it’s a give and take. Onward. #yoga#thisisyoga #meditation #india #relationship#earth #ganges #travelingyogi

— in Rishikesh, Uttrakhand.