An Eternal Practice by Lexie Wolf
The Ishtas, the gods and goddesses of the Vedantic tradition, are sacred archetypes. Their various and changing forms represent our personal relationship with ourselves - our inner states of being, our struggles, our triumphs, and ultimately our divinity. This tradition holds that everything in us, that we ourselves - are divine.
The first week or two at Sattva I was often with Durgha, the fierce mother goddess who is usually depicted riding a lion and holding ten different weapons. With these weapons she battles demons. The demons, of course, are inside of us. In Yoga, the only battle worth fighting is the one with our “lower minds,” the culturally conditioned part of us that tells us we are not enough. I don’t know about you, but my lower mind likes to throw a party sometimes. She plays good music and tricks me into dancing with her for a while.
Lord Shiva represents the freedom of spiritual awakening. Shiva teaches us that the quality of our life experience is a direct reflection of our state of consciousness. Our own consciousness, the state of our heart and mind, dictates the way we experience life. We take radical responsibility for our life in this way. We were offered many teachings and practices to support us in creating a state of mind from which to see the world as a paradise instead of a prison.
As I write this it is a couple of days past the end of our program, and I’m blessed to be visiting with the goddess of abundance, Lakshmi. Lakshmi is often pictured sitting inside a beautiful lotus flower (which grows in mud, significantly: “no mud, no lotus”). I’m sitting on the terrace of our serene hotel on the hillside high above the Ganges, among leafy treetops and lush greenery. It’s so very easy to feel into abundance right now, in this paradise, with a full and grateful heart and a relaxed mind. The trick is to retain that feeling no matter what is happening.
How to sustain a yogic mindset amidst the drama and challenges of life? Practice. One of the more well-known sutras in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras describes the need to live your yoga with such commitment that it becomes completely and unshakably established in you. Towards the end of our program we discussed at length the importance of maintaining our daily Sadhana – our practices. Our amazing teachers did not mince words – to teach from a place of authenticity and skill, we need to live our Yoga. Learn to prioritize our inner world over the external world. A tall order in this busy life.
At the same time we are taught at Sattva that it is crucial to meet “the need of the hour.” To manage skillfully and effectively whatever each moment of life is calling for.
To hold both things, simultaneously, feels like a lot.
But I’m setting that intention. I’ll try, succeed, fail, fall, remember, forget, get frustrated, give myself a hug and get up and try again. It is a forever practice.
There is no happy ending in Yoga. No beginning and no end at all. No enlightenment, only a process of enlightening, of the continued evolution of the soul. The only time that really matters is Now.
Now feels pretty great. I hope it does for you too. I can’t wait to see you all soon.
