Getting on the Winning Side
I remember the first time I heard somebody describe the spiritual path in this way:
“This is about self-acceptance, not self-improvement.”
I was pissed.
Come on.
I want to—improve.
I want to—get over myself.
To be beyond it all.
To reject, for once and for all, my People-Pleasing
And Etc. Behaviors.
Right?
Isn’t that what a spiritual path should offer us?
A doorway out of the human dilemma,
Elevating ourselves past our humanity,
Past the flawed,
Into the Arms of the Divine?
This is not my experience.
I believe our spiritual practices
Teach us
How to live
In this human moment
As ourselves,
On this planet.
And then, the doorway
To the spiritual experience
Becomes available.
Not bypassing the human.
But by being with the human.
Who knew?
My spiritual journey offers me progress,
Clearly not perfection.
It offers me the doorway to acceptance
Of both myself as I am,
And the moment
As it is.
Such freedom exists
On this journey,
When we can
Relax.
Self-acceptance is an energetic surrender,
A letting go of the struggle,
Wanting
Me and/or the moment
To be different.
Practicing letting the moment be,
Relaxing and softening into how I am showing up.
Ahhhhh.
That’s the journey,
I do believe.
Self-acceptance is a softening.
A relaxing.
A releasing
Into Reality
As She
Is showing up.
As it has been said,
Self-acceptance is
Getting on
The winning side.
~~~
Work, work, work.
Change, change, change.
Grow, grow, grow.
Be the best little spiritual seeker.
Then they will all love you.
I tried that, folks.
It hasn’t worked that way for me.
Being present with what is.
Allowing myself to show up
Into that moment,
And breathing into my response.
Self-observation without judgment,
Swami Kripalu says.
And from that place of non-judgment,
From that place of relaxed breath,
Leaning in the opposite direction.
Opposite behavior brings balance.
How obvious.
How profound.
How cool!
~~~
Have you ever met Bhavani Lorraine Nelson at Kripalu? I hope so. She has been a pillar of our Kripalu programming for decades now and brings a depth of practice along with a wry and wacky sense of humor to the moment. She has taught me much and offered me, through her chanting, solace and comfort.
This is a beautiful chant, Sarvam Bhahma, which translates as Everything is Brahman, everything is God. Hinduism teaches us that the underlying principle of the universe is our interconnectedness of all beings, tiny and massive, all. This is a powerful and potent reminder in these days of such division and separation.
We are all Brahman.
We are all God.
We are all One.
Here is Bhavani’s reminder:
Sarvam Brahama
~~~
Friends,
Permission to practice,
Fully granted.
Permission to be human,
Fully granted.
Permission to be
Anxious,
Fearful,
Annoyed,
Angry,
Whatever—
Or
Permission to
Not feel a thing—
Granted!
Help us to be
Who we are.
And as we do,
Help us
To relax
And
Breathe.
Help us
To do
The next,
Best,
Thing.
Show us
The way
To kindness.
May all beings benefit from our words shared today.
Truly,
Aruni