Legacy

We all want to find purpose. We want to find a way to make our mark on the planet. We feel we were put here for a reason. Some people find purpose in friendship. Some people find purpose in being a great parent. Some people find purpose in being a loving partner. Some people connect purpose to their career. Some people find purpose in the ways they can help their communities. The similarity is that we are all looking for a reason to exist.

           When people retire from long and fulfilling careers there is a moment of confusion. What is the point of waking up in the morning? Where is there to go? Who will even notice if I never leave my bed? This can bring an interesting search for who we truly are deep inside. The pull of the need to provide finances has vanished, but the cavernous hole of purpose must be filled.

           The United States along with other western societies have taken on a new variable. We exist in an individualized culture while being social creatures. We seek relations with others, but are not always given great opportunity for this endeavor organically. We must create the relatedness component that goes along with feeling a sense of purpose. This may be the way that your family connects to your sense of purpose within your career. This may be how your friends organize community outreach together. This may be your boss and his or her new melding of culture to create a sense of community within the already defined individualized ladder of success. We have to go back, and insert relatedness because we have spent so many years valuing the "individual." Yet, the individual component is what makes the success of just one (you) such a lonely place. We crave the admiration which is no more than a craving of acknowledgment of who your purpose connects you with. This act of yours- while we maintain that this is simply yours - no doubt helped, impressed, or even just slightly affected at least one other individual in some small way.

            One unifying aspect of purpose is that any purpose contains multiple elements. We all want to give love, to feel love, to feel belonging, and hope. Yoga helps us in its root to unite with our purpose. We unify the body, mind and breath in a way that allows us to connect deep inside to ourselves. We can feel the muscles, the breath, and the complete practice when we have a good day on the mat. Some days we cannot connect. We cannot go deeply inside. We are blocked by stress, or desire to escape with an outside distraction. We cannot just breathe on our mat and accept our essential human nature. We want to be distracted. We want to feel 'busy.' In truth, the open mind constantly looks to question. We want to feel like we are working towards a goal.

         In yoga the only goal we need to focus upon is the intention of the day. This may be the need for hope. This may be the need for love. This may be the need for direction. This may be forgiveness, or even just acceptance of what exists. There is no right intention. There is no silly motive. There is just whatever you need in that moment. Yoga will give you the ability to just give the gift of presence. You have the power to harness the mind to do whatever needs to be done. The great thing is - you are in this moment ready for that.

When you are ready. Your mat is waiting for you. Unfurl your beauty, and shine on crazy diamond.

With love,

One crazy yogi