bija yoga

“If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear.”
~Joanna Macy

A really beautiful post from Lisa Olivera that was a balm for my heart this morning. I hope it will be for yours too.

Ordinary people on witnessing love in action

Vibin’ on that Revolutionary energy in Lexington. A great turnout, despite the rain and such an inspiring day.

watch.eventive.org

Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. May we all be guided by his wisdom, inspired by his capacity for love and sustained by his sense of hope.

I begin each morning practice by reading a poem and I’ve been working my way through Mary Oliver‘s Devotions. As luck would have it, on this first morning of 2025, the poem for today was Invitation. There couldn’t be a more perfect poem for me for on this morning - on the threshold of this coming year. The best known lines I have read and shared many times -

“it is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in this broken world”

I had somehow forgotten that those lines came from a field of goldfinches. How sweet. (read the full poem below)

Mary Oliver has a way of ending her poems with some powerful question or some call to action. In this poem, she echoes Rilke with the statement “You must change your life.”

And isn’t that the call to action that we all hear at the New Year. And wouldn’t it be wonderful to put aside all the striving to eat well, to exercise, to lose weight, etc., and just accept this invitation to live with attentiveness to the present moment, with delight and gratitude. Happy 2025. Here we go…

See the links in bio for FREE Yoga Nidra recordings and details on my upcoming session of MINDFUL YOGA.

Invitation
by Mary Oliver

Oh do you have time �to linger�
for just a little while
�out of your busy
and very important day
�for the goldfinches�
that have gathered�
in a field of thistles
for a musical battle,�
to see who can sing�
the highest note,�
or the lowest,
or the most expressive of mirth,
�or the most tender?�
Their strong, blunt beaks�
drink the air
as they strive�
melodiously�
not for your sake
�and not for mine
and not for the sake of winning
�but for sheer delight and gratitude—�believe us, they say,�
it is a serious thing
just to be alive�
on this fresh morning
�in the broken world.�
I beg of you,
do not walk by
�without pausing
�to attend to this
�rather ridiculous performance.
It could mean something.�
It could mean everything.
�It could be what Rilke meant,
when he wrote:�
You must change your life.

I begin each morning practice by reading a poem and I’ve been working my way through Mary Oliver‘s Devotions. As luck would have it, on this first morning of 2025, the poem for today was Invitation. There couldn’t be a more perfect poem for me for on this morning - on the threshold of this coming year. The best known lines I have read and shared many times - “it is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world” I had somehow forgotten that those lines came from a field of goldfinches. How sweet. (read the full poem below) Mary Oliver has a way of ending her poems with some powerful question or some call to action. In this poem, she echoes Rilke with the statement “You must change your life.” And isn’t that the call to action that we all hear at the New Year. And wouldn’t it be wonderful to put aside all the striving to eat well, to exercise, to lose weight, etc., and just accept this invitation to live with attentiveness to the present moment, with delight and gratitude. Happy 2025. Here we go… See the links in bio for FREE Yoga Nidra recordings and details on my upcoming session of MINDFUL YOGA. Invitation by Mary Oliver Oh do you have time 
to linger
 for just a little while 
out of your busy and very important day 
for the goldfinches
 that have gathered
 in a field of thistles for a musical battle,
 to see who can sing
 the highest note,
 or the lowest, or the most expressive of mirth, 
or the most tender?
 Their strong, blunt beaks
 drink the air as they strive
 melodiously
 not for your sake 
and not for mine and not for the sake of winning 
but for sheer delight and gratitude—
believe us, they say,
 it is a serious thing just to be alive
 on this fresh morning 
in the broken world.
 I beg of you, do not walk by 
without pausing 
to attend to this 
rather ridiculous performance. It could mean something.
 It could mean everything. 
It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
 You must change your life. #bijayoga #bijayogayove #mindfulyoga #yoganidra #kripaluyoga #kripalulove #maryoliver #devotions #onthisfreshmorning #newyearresolutions #newyear #mindfulness #beginneryoga #gentleyoga

Lots of great information here. Especially this from Darshan Mehta, medical director of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital -
“We call this the ‘stop, breathe, reflect, and choose.’ Stop. Breathe — symbolic of taking a moment to really self-care. Reflect; the idea here is, like, ‘Where am I right now? What am I in control of?’ And then, once you’ve had that pause, then you can make a choice. When you come from a place of choice, then you actually are in a place of strength, rather than a place of ... feeling disempowered. When you have agency ... that’s a resilient quality. "
He said you’ll also want to be around people and activities who inspire you and make you feel love. Inspiration is good. But again, “that doesn’t come right away ... otherwise it’s not sustainable.”

How to deal with post-election existential dread - The Boston Globe Many are celebrating political news. Some, disillusioned by our country because it offered them two candidates who didn’t represent the values they want to see in the world, already felt grief about the next four years.

Join me for this 10-week online immersion where we will bring yoga to life through an exploration of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - one of the foundational texts of the ancient yoga tradition. We'll dive into the deeper dimensions of yoga to unlock our potential for living more a fulfilling and conscious life, with more peace, joy, connection and real happiness.
This immersion will include:

*Weekly livestream Mindful Yoga classes (Wednesdays 6:30 PM). Classes are appropriate for all-levels of students, including beginners.

*Weekly readings and lessons from the Yoga Sutras

*Practices for living Yoga ~ taking your Yoga off the mat and into your life.

*Optional private online community just for students of the Winter Immersion. A great way to connect with fellow students, ask questions or share your experiences with the teachings and weekly practices.

Check the link in bio for more details.

The view from my mat this morning. Feeling a hint of spring today.

The view from my mat this morning. Feeling a hint of spring today.

loving the later sunrises for my morning practice and this gorgeous full moon keeping me company last night.

“Choose wonder over cynicism” ~ Jeffrey Davis

Not an easy choice for me to make these days, I must admit. But a game changing practice to undertake in difficult times. Consciously choosing to seek out wonder can increase our well-being and our appreciation for life. It can bring the resilience, hope and inspiration we need to face the challenges in front of us during these difficult times.

How have you been nourishing your sense of wonder this summer? Let me know or share a photo in comments below.

Here are some moments of wonder from my summer break. My summer session of both online and in-person MINDFUL YOGA begins THIS WEDNESDAY. This 6-week session will focus on nourishing our sense of wonder, amazement and joy. See the link in my profile for details.