Over the last year, I have watched my practice change so much. Where before my practice was a "thing to be done," now is a thing that is happening at every moment. I suppose this is how I became so drawn to Elena Brower as a teacher, a virtual one on yogaglo.com but still! I have really enjoyed Elena's mix of philosophy, alignment, and transformative approaches to yoga. Her new book is such a joy that I would love to spend my "attention" fully on it. At $50 a pop, this is a real gift to oneself and should be ingested like a strong puerh tea, not missing any notes of orange outside of the chocolate.
The practices look wonderful and are structured in "waves" getting you closer in towards your true nature, but the art work is beautiful too. The first chapter of the Art of Attention book is about Reducing Tension and Finding Forgiveness. I know that I will use this practice almost every day. Don't we always have to forgive someone and ourselves? I find that working with the public, I need to constantly be aware of how I'm coming across and how I'm receiving others energies, words, and intentions. I forgive the people who do not treat with me with the respect that I think I deserve. Maybe they returned a frown after my smile. I forgive myself for being short or judgmental with others. Yes, it's wonderful to forgive and you do feel a whole lot lighter and clear, but the main quality that comes out of this is the ability to be aware in the first place that you are behaving in a way that does not serve the highest goal which is connection, love, and peace. Everyone is your brother, sister, mother, husband, wife, child. We are all but drops of water from the same ocean! Forgiveness is the ability to constantly re-evaluate behaviors and let them go, replace them with respect and love.
I plan to delve deeper into this notion of reducing tension and forgiving as I glide into my week.
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