DAILY As I’ve told you before, I’m a yearny kind of gal. When I moved more into Yogini-dom, I began having oh so silent contempt for these yearnings. It translated as, ‘your heart is not content with what is.’ ‘Your mind is not present to what is.’ The ego says, ‘what is’ is insufficient unto the day. All of this is very contrapuntal for Yoga growth. As usual, judgment blinds. There is magnificence that can back-light a good yearn, leading us onward and upward.
I heard that magnificence today in Rumi’s words. He writes about a man happily longing for God. A passing cynic (cynic’s always pass at critical moments,) asked if he had ever received any response from God. The man replied, “No.” Shortly after this the man let go his longing and quit praying.
One day he dreamed he saw the guide of souls (These too, always pass at critical moments,) who asked him why he had stopped longing. The man said, “Because I’ve never heard anything back.”
Khidr, the soul-guide responded, “This longing you express is the return message. The grief you cry out from draws you toward union. Your pure sadness that wants help is the secret cup. Listen to the moan of a dog for its master. That whining is the connection. There are love-dogs no one knows the names of. Give your life to be one of them.”
And I add, learn to howl your yearning. Feel the force of your heart for the heart’s true desire, be it God or Dog. (One is simply the other spelled backward.) Allow that yearning to lead onward, and expand the joy, and yes, the grief, for indeed our dark nights draw us into powerful union with soul-self, with Dogs and Gods and one another.
Asana: Ardho Mukha Svansana/Downdog of course. Keep it simple and powerful. Be present to moving into every corner of the body. Perhaps you yearn to have a better Downdog? Fine, let it fire you towards greatness. But do not disdain, read judge, where you are in the Pose at this moment. Let it be your master. Now howl for all you are worth, becoming God-like in your Dog-like Pose.
Health Notes: This is a wonderful pose for lengthening hamstrings, strengthening wrists, arms and backs. It is a ‘home base’ to which we ground ourselves, returning time and again from other poses.
Astrologic Notes: We are in the territory of Aquarius,‘The water bearer,’ A misnomer, for Aquarius is fixed air, not water, but its constellation appeared as someone pouring water from a jug, ergo the name. Aquarian energy is well represented by the cold, electric air of winter, for it seeks knowledge, it desires to move through limitation and restriction, finding a spiritual re-birth.
Ayurvedic Notes: The use of aroma is an important tool for healing. The correct aroma at the right time can protect the vital force, or prana, increase resistance to disease, and regulate digestion and metabolism. In winter, when Kapha Dosha tends to be more un-balanced, use spicy and invigorating scents, such as Eucalyptus, Basil, Peppermint, and Rosemary. Note that essential oils are potent. Take care blending them, dilute before applying to skin, and test for allergies.
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