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OPEN MIND OPEN BODY The Yoga of Connection |
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Week 45: Loneliness I had an unusual experience this morning. Walking home from the grocery store, I heard a woman call my name. I turned around to see a student from one of my classes walking toward me-- someone who never introduced herself to me before, but had been attending class for some time. I expected to simply say "Hello! How are you!" and go on my way. Instead, when the woman reach me, she started crying. I gave her a hug and asked her what was wrong. She said simply: "I'm just so lonely." This struck me as an incredible act of courage. It was a total break from the way most of us casually greet each other and go on with our private suffering. What followed was, in my experience, an authentic connection that only happened because one person was willing to drop all pretenses. I borrow this week a page from one of my teacher's books (so to speak). After this experience, I happened to listen to last week's podcast by meditation teacher Cheri Huber, and the first question was about loneliness. This synchronicity leads me to believe that someone out there (perhaps including myself) needs to contemplate loneliness today. I encourage you to listen to this part of the podcast; it contains perhaps the best definition of loneliness I have ever heard: not being alone, but being alone with the voices of self-hate. Loneliness is when the most intimate relationship you have is with the voices of self-hate. You can listen to this podcast via itunes; look up Open Air and download the 10/24/06 podcast. It is also online at: http://www.worldtalkradio.com/show.asp?sid=162 In Yoga Practice: The yoga asana practice associated with this idea is what you have hopefully been practicing for some time now. (If you are starting to notice a theme in this class, you are right!) It is the practice of noticing where your thoughts go as you move through the poses. It is the practice of noticing how thoughts related to self-hate (including competition with others, or judgment of others) create barriers to connection. It is the practice of being in relationship with the poses, not self-talk. Being in relationship with poses is a way of practicing being in relationship with the present moment. Noticing sensation. Being curious about action. Having a direct unfolding experience of the pose that is not mediated by judgment, resistance, competition, or fault-finding. Was this message intended for you this week? I'd be interested in hearing from others experiencing loneliness - or having any reaction to this week's topic. Take care, Kelly Share your reflections at http://www.openmindbody.com/discuss\ Explore the class archives and audio files at http://www.openmindbody.com/2006emailclass/archive.htm For both sites, use the Login: yoga and the Password: connect
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