My two favourite things to do are writing and yoga. Until I come up with some words of my own for this blog, I’m going to point you to the words of two of my favorite people.
Writing:
My editor, Michelle Barker, is an amazing award-winning author. The articles she posts on her website at michellebarker.ca are light and humorous, but always with underlying wisdom. She is also Senior Editor at The Darling Axe, a group of editors who will help you to bring your writing to the next level.
I particularly like these two articles:
· This Man’s Art, That Man’s Scope, about yoga and envy made me laugh out loud.
· That Ex-MFA Teacher. In her inimitable style, she encourages writers to follow their dreams.
You can find her other articles at michellebarker.ca/category/writing
Yoga:
Krisna Zawaduk is my inspiration. When we moved to the Kelowna area about 15 years ago, I couldn’t believe my luck when I found there was a yoga studio in the Iyengar tradition. Krisna is the senior teacher at the Kelowna Yoga House and has been guiding me these past years.
Her personal website https://www.yogawithkrisna.com/ has enlightened articles, and the Kelowna Yoga House where she teaches is: https://www.kelownayogahouse.org/
Here’s an interesting video of Krisna which is posted on her Facebook page. And no, the average yoga enthusiast is not expected to do these poses.
Namaste
Have you ever wondered why we say “namaste” at the end of a yoga class?
Krisna Zawaduk explains it this way:
You may have noticed at the end of class we salute each other by placing our palms together in front of our heart, and with a bow say “Namaste”. Namaste is a gesture of mutual respect and connection and is used as a greeting in India. Namaskar is a more formal expression. The Sanskrit word comes from two words: naman astitva which means “to recognize someone’s existence” . It means I bow to you and honor your existence in the universe. The placement of the folded palms at the heart has great significance because we are symbolically connecting to each other from the heart centre. Yogis believe this is the place where the spark of divinity resides in each of us. You may also see the hands folded at the 3rd eye area and then lowered to the heart. This higher placement of the hands has an added gesture of reverence or worship. Traditionally, the word namaste is not uttered as the gesture speaks for itself. Aadil Palkhivala says that “We bring the hands together at the heart chakra to increase the flow of Divine love. Bowing the head and closing the eyes helps the mind surrender to the Divine in the heart.” I would encourage you to let the meaning of namaste emerge naturally. Personally, I find the acting of bowing to be very humbling and when we bow to each other, I feel we are recognizing our equality. When I say “namaste”, I am honouring the essence of that person, the light within and I am feeling grateful for their existence. If the person is my teacher, a deep and warm feeling of gratitude arises within me. If it is a friend, love. If it is a person who I do not know well, I feel grateful that we have made that split second connection with each other. If it is someone who I find challenging, I also feel grateful, for I know they have a lesson to teach me.….for I know they have a lesson to teach me.
Namaste