Day 175 — Rolf begins with a Martin Luther King, Jr. quote: “Our aim must never be to defeat or humiliate the white man but to win his friendship and understanding.” Given the hoopla regarding the recent softdrink ad debacle (I think Pepsi Cola?), the bombings and use of chemical warfare in Syria, the beating of refugee in London, and all the other news that pops up on my screen (although I try not to pay attention to it), this quote seems so appropriate today as it did in the 60s. I think of the song lyrics of “so much hate in the world, not enough love to go ’round…,” a song of the 80s. Twenty years pass, and now another 40 and still, we have violence and hatred and fear prevalent in our world.
That’s why I believe today’s reading is so important, and a routine practice along with some form of reflection to make LOVE grow. Last year, I found these words in today’s reading helpful and meaningful with regard to ahisma (today’s theme): “As we begin to honor and care for our bodies, our entire lives begin to change. The sensitivity necessary for us to become conscious of all the ways we act against our own bodies will ultimately teach us to avoid the pitfalls in our everyday lives as well.” Hello!
Now, I sit and year and some change later, modeling and urging and coaching Nina subtly (and probably not so subtly) to love herself, her body, her place in this time and space (maybe not always in the best way, I suppose). Tonight, I sit here and reflect. she is going to Senior Prom (stag). It has been a week of apprehension, negative self-talk, irritability, rage (even), and fear. Ahisma is sometimes the hardest to propegate on a day-to-day basis for women.
Rolf writes “As we explore our relationships with our bodies, we see the imprint of all our other relationships.” Yes! Some of that hot mess is hormones in Nina and some is the way in which she saw me growing up and the words I’ve used. Rolf continues: “We begin to see the true nature of our beliefs concering politics, gender, sex, money, power, and the whole enchilada.”
It is challenging to be nonjudgmental toward the minor incidences of our lives, let alone the major ones. Ahisma is all and it is Love. Love is patient, kind, and does not “defeat or humiliate, but [aims] to befriend and understand.” Rolf’s advice–and it is easy to see this time around–is to practice ahisma on the mat, as it will take “hold slowly, over the course of a number of years.” Because of this, after I drop Nina off at prom, I will be doing a nice long, reflective practice on yogaglo or oneoeight. Fred and Harry are off to his soccer game until later this evening and I will have the opportunity to do this in the quiet of our home. Although I am really looking forward to this celebration of the now and practice of ahisma, but I’m okay with whatever this evening holds, too, because real life is also a practice. Let us practice peace, equinimity, calmness, Love, the whole enchilada.
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