February 1, 2024
Greetings yogis,
This morning in meditation, while dusting cobwebs and bothersome old stories out of my mind, something dawned on me as the last reverberations of a mantra dissipated into the background. Softly lufting about were the words, “namo namaha, namo namaha…” A translation of these words, two words that frequently finish many divine prayers, would be ‘I bow in to…’ This sentiment echoed through my heart as I realized one of the biggest differences between the East and West: reverence.
Here in the ‘wild’ West we strive to have dominion over all things, struggling against nature – our own and the cosmos. Rather than revere it, we deny it or foolishly think we can conquer all the forces that remind us we are but tiny blips in the Universe, temporary in form. Anthropocentrism keeps us tiring day and night, futile attempts to create escapes from the inevitable reality of our impermanence rather than honor the natural forces that make this world, and the human journey, exactly what it is.
In the East however, the practice of Yoga guides us toward synergy; a collaboration with the natural world and the natural cycles of life. In this reverential mindset, all things become expressions of the divine; other beings, mountains, rivers, trees, fire, wind and more. Even impermanence itself becomes a divine force revered in the form of Lord Śiva. Rooted in reverence for it all, we are instantly placed in co-creation rather than discord. There is a great freedom that comes from harmonizing in this way.
This is the same in our relationships, jobs and every single moment of our day to day rhythm. The more we resist, grasp and control, the more we experience dukkha (suffering). The more we simply behold this life with reverence, the more we can flow with what is. It's simple. But then again it’s not. We’ve been socialized to believe we are the center of the universe, and that is a very hard notion to shake. But with time, just as the mountains eventually return to the sea, we ourselves will see. When we realize the true gift of harmonizing with it all, we are set free. Namo namaha…
Bowing in to it all. May you all be free.
Nat K
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti