Sometimes, it feels like there is just nothing in the tank. Before pranayama started, there was a nice puddle forming at my feet, and that should have been the warning sign right there. By Eagle, I was feeling drain. Then, trying to keep true to what I learned in last weekend's workshop, I basically sucked myself dry in Balancing Series. And the rest of the class, I alternated between feeling sorry for myself, and making it better by concentrating on breathing and simply trying to stay present. It basically worked, but the class was really tough even so. I haven't had one like this in quite a while, so I guess I was about due.
On the plus side, Camel was still really good. And I think I've finally got a feel for what the arm position is in Rabbit. And, amazingly enough, it seems to create more room to breath. That's a fairly big blessing for that pose.
The day 251 meditation is a simple, but elegant description of an idyllic scene in Costa Rica. A walk on the beach. A return through the jungle to the hotel. Practicing with his wife on a terrace overlooking the Pacific. A tropical rainshower, and its aftermath. Absolutely beautiful stuff. Hell, I like it when it's raining outside, and our studio only overlooks majestic Highway 59, not the Pacific.
The point of the description, I think, is to illustrate the beginning quote, from Mohammed, in action. And its a beautiful quote (and surprising for someone whose main exposure to Islam is from less idyllic sources). "Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel the artistry moving through, and be silent." This is a wonderful thought, and Gate's illustration, I think, captures the spirit of it very well. And then I wonder if that's a contradiction or not. If you capture the spirit of a moment like this, and reduce it to writing it, have you then "claimed" it, or not? I don't know the answer to this one, but if not, then part of me wonders how else one would go about claiming a moment. And I don't know the answer to that one either.
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