June 21 is the day that spring transitions to summer. If spring is about the rebirth brought on by increased light then summer is about the blossoming of all life. We go from green blades of grass effortlessly cutting through the earth to birds singing for the ecstasy of being alive. Everything is oriented to rebirth and growth, to potential and possibility.
How fitting then, that June 21 is also the International Day of Yoga (IDY) because this day is also about the potential for rebirth and blossoming. Only with yoga, the seed of potential is not carried along on the softness of a fragrant breeze, it lies within all human beings. The fruit of its birth and blossoming can be the realization of our universal oneness.
This post is about the guidance a guru can offer on one’s spiritual path, what that transformation looks like in my own life and Isha Foundation’s offerings to help bring humans to their ultimate potential on IDY 2019.
It is the wish and the blessing of my great teacher, Sadhguru, that every human be touched by a drop of spirituality. Through Isha Foundation, an international non-profit organization with over nine million volunteers, he has developed a variety of programs to raise human consciousness and foster global harmony.
I have taken several courses with Isha Foundation and volunteer as often as I can. These are not boxes on a check list. I’m not climbing up the rungs of some ladder. Rather, it feels that as my yoga practice, my willingness and my yearning deepen, more of these opportunities become available for me. And with them comes a greater chance to transform; to evolve and live consciously.
The word guru means dispeller of darkness.
As humans we only know the dimension of space and time and all that we perceive with our senses. There’s an inner journey out of this dimension and a guru is the light on that path. A guru is one who has made the journey and can act as a guide. Sadhguru jokes that he is a GPS – guru positioning system. There have been many great sages and gurus in the 15,000 year history of yoga but it is truly rare to be alive in the time of a living enlightened guru. Sadhguru is a very rare and accomplished human being.
How does having a guru translate into daily life?
Sadhguru shares as a variety of yoga practices, both physical asanas (postures) and meditation and breathing techniques, as tools to nurture the seed of inner transformation that lies within all of us. Using these practices with this goal is known as sadhana. Sadhana translates to the instructions to carry out a certain practice.
“Everything can be sadhana,” says Sadhguru, “The way you eat, the way you sit, the way you stand, the way you breathe, the way you conduct your body, mind and your energies and emotions – this is all sadhana. Sadhana does not mean any specific kind of activity, sadhana means you are using everything as a tool for your wellbeing.”
Until I am that conscious, when everything can be sadhana, the yoga practices in my knowing are instructions to guide me on the path Sadhguru is leading me along.
Changes
I never used to be a morning person but yoga is helping me bust that limitation. I rise early now and do one to two hours of yoga postures, breathing exercises and meditation. Midday, I pause and meditate for 12 – 18 minutes and I do that again in the evening. This sadhana has led to several other transformations.
I have always been relatively calm but I was still capable of being reactive. Now, I am conscious enough to choose my response.
I take up certain roles, tasks and responsibilities each day but they do not define who I am. I do my work with intense involvement, kindness and joy. I’m aiming to do everything with intense involvement, kindness and joy.
I have an increased ability to focus and increased clarity.
I eat and sleep less. I aim to eat twice a day and mostly plant-based foods.
My longing to know what lies beyond this dimension deepens.
While I’m living this life, my longing to help others deepens daily. I’ve trained to facilitate some yoga offerings now.
I offer this blog post in hopes that it might be helpful for those wishing to explore life in its full depth and dimension. You can find offerings throughout the world here. And, the following is a list of offerings from Isha Calgary to celebrate IDY this coming weekend in Calgary.
List of Upcoming Events for IDY 2019
1) Yoga For Beginners in Calgary
June 21, 10-11:30 & 2- 3:30 pm
Downtown Central Library (800- 3 Street SE)
Ages – 7+
2) Meditation for Beginners in Calgary
June 21, 10-11 am
Country Hills Library (11950 Country Village Link NE)
Ages – 12+
3) Yoga For Beginners in Calgary
June 22, 11 am- 12:30 pm & 2- 3:30 pm
Downtown Central Library (800- 3 Street SE)
Ages – 7+
4) Meditation for Beginners in Calgary
June 22, 2:30-3:30 pm
Sage Hill Library (19 Sage Hill Passage NW)
Ages – 12+
Gratitude
I am truly grateful to my guru for his light on my path. When I listen to this song in the video that follows, written by the volunteers at Isha, tears run down my cheeks.
Though I’ve always strived to savour it all, my guru allows that to happen in real time and for real. I hope you may also be as blessed.
With limitless love, Karen
