n April 2020, when the pandemic was first gaining momentum, this newsletter addressed the fear and anxiety that was also gaining momentum. In classes, we dedicated the month to standing poses – in specific, warrior poses — to help you stand up to your fears. Now, with mass shootings happening across the country at an appalling rate, along with the continued threat of COVID, and added to that, the threat of climate change and the Russia-Ukraine war crisis, and not to overlook the peril that our civil liberties and democracy face today, it’s time for all to stand up to the challenges. Not only must you face the challenges: you also must face down these challenges. It always was the time to do so, but now it is more so than ever.
In this newsletter and especially in classes, we try avoiding too much mention of the negative things that are going on in the world. We know that one important reason you come to classes is to get away from all the chaos and then to come away with peace of mind. We pledge to continue honoring that need. Consider The Centered Place your safe haven.
We also know that, given these difficult times we live in, all of us need to fortify our courage and commitment to be our best in this world, and from there, to do our best to make a difference in this world – yes, peacefully and with fierce determination. Coming away with peace of mind is vital for that cause. But so is coming away with peace of resolve — the conviction that we can make a difference and that we are going to do something to make a difference.
Back in 2016, when I was feeling angry and depressed about the political environment of this country, I asked my teacher what I could do other than being upset. I expected her to say something like “take care of yourself, meditate, find inner peace.” But she didn’t. Instead, she told me to let my representatives know what is important to me and what I expect from them. She said they need to know, and if they hear from enough people with similar concerns, they will act. At least that was true back then. It’s still true for the most part here in Massachusetts.
She was implying that apathy is not the answer, nor is giving up. The answer is to stand up and be counted. Stand up in spite of fear, stand above cynicism or bitterness and be a peaceful, fierce warrior. Be a warrior dedicated to making things better. Swami said:
“Yoga makes you more peaceful, one of its greatest benefits. Yet yoga is a warrior tradition. The power of such deep inner peace is that it makes you able to face the challenges in your life without internal turmoil. Thus you are able to see clearly and determine what you can do to make a difference without fear or self-doubt.”
This month’s teaching article by Swami Nirmalananda is titled Breakthrough. In it, she states that we all want freedom. That freedom starts with a breakthrough, which she defines as “a shift in perspective, an insight or realization where you ‘get it’.” We see clearly what is holding us back from being free, then we proceed to break “the shackles that keep us bound.” That’s the warrior spirit.
Swami states that the first freedom most people seek when they begin yoga is freedom from pain or stress. She continues: “They both dissolve in your first Svaroopa® yoga class. After freedom from pain and stress, then you want freedom from the limiting patterns in your body-mind. Yoga gives you all of this and more… [Then you want] the unleashing of your power to laugh, love and give.”
When you can laugh and love and give, you are free. You experience the highest bliss. You experience your true power, and you are able to use your power to free others from their shackles. As we wrote in the April 2020 newsletter:
“This kind of strength and resilience won’t come from lifting dumbbells. It won’t come from someone else. It comes from within you. And when you dig deeper within to find the ground of your Infinite Beingness — the depth and divinity of your own true Self — you then stand with a greater sense of certitude, stability, inner balance and peace. Love flows from your heart more easily and abundantly. You rise above fear and become unshakeable … You become a spiritual warrior.”