Becoming Peace... Through Personal & Spiritual Development
Following is an excerpt from "An Ordinary Life Transformed — Lessons for Everyone from the Bhagavad Gita," by Stephanie Rutt, available locally at Hobblebush Books, Toadstool Bookshops, Earthward and the Tree of Life Interfaith Fellowship. Also, available from Amazon and, soon, Barnes and Noble.
Why Study the Bhagavad Gita?
From Sorrow to Joy
Bhagavad Gita means Song of God. Its purpose is to bring about an end to sorrow through the realization that we are That which we seek. All of us seek peace, happiness and joy, but within ourselves is not usually the first place we look. Instead, we look outside ourselves, searching from place to place, experience to experience, teacher to teacher for That which we already are. It never occurs to us that what we're looking for is literally as close as our breath — that we already have all we need to be content in any circumstance.
In our desperate search, we overlook the place of true joy — our inner sanctuary, where joy resides, not in response to a particular set of circumstances, but simply as a humble response to continued self-acceptance. Here, all is received. Here, the quiet truth whispering softly from the center of our being can be heard. Here, joy is immune to the changing tides of outward circumstance. By turning inward to embrace all, we find what we have so desperately been seeking. It's called freedom.
But, we are not aware. So, we search.
And, then, something happens. Maybe it's an event that unceremoniously catapults us out of our comfortable existence. An unexpected diagnosis, accident, loss of a job, divorce, death of a loved one. Or maybe it's just waking up from a long period of sleepy boredom that shouts, something's got to change! Like Arjuna, we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory, feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, unable or just simply unwilling to meet the challenges ahead. Our rudder is broken and night is falling fast. Desperately, we may continue searching for someone or something outside ourselves to save us. But, this time, nothing satisfies.
It's a critical juncture. We can continue the old ways of coping or we can choose a less familiar route called surrender. At first, this surrender route does not appear to be such an attractive option. We fear the loss of control. But this time, as skeptical as we are of the surrender route, we are even more reluctant to repeat the same old patterns. And, so it is with Arjuna. His rationalizations for not rising up to do his duty aren't working. His familiar ways of thinking aren't providing escape from his self-imposed bondage. Overwhelmed and desperate, he chooses surrender and cries out to his Lord for guidance.
And, where he thought he would lose himself, he finds himSelf.
But, the old ways are not so easily shed. Again and again, Arjuna, and we too, must choose. Over time, we start to trust this new route called surrender, for a joy comes that passes all our old understanding. Slowly, we start to trust the Potter within. We begin to suspect that each experience is just a stroke of the Potter's hand molding us for a higher purpose. We begin to see that surrender makes us free.
And, more and more, we start to fall in love. Not with what used to make us happy or even with what we think will make us happy — but with the Potter Himself, for nothing will satisfy now short of the Potter Himself. Loneliness and our sense of separateness fade. We start to see with new eyes as the Potter reveals His face — the face of God — everywhere.
There is God bagging our groceries, cashing our check, finding the right size shirt, bringing our food. We start to notice that it doesn't matter what mood folks are in, what they have or haven't done, what they believe or don't believe. All we see is God. And when we hear an ambulance or fire engines or learn about "collateral damage" on the news, our heart aches for the one whose name we don't even know. Because now no one is outside the bounds of our love. No one.
Now, we love our neighbor as our self.
And, like water to parched lips, this is the only joy that matters. It is all that can truly sustain us through the changing seasons of our life. It is our compass when the storm hits, the rudder breaks and darkness falls. It is what is left when we fear all is lost. It is what brings us to our prayer mat. It is what looks at the enemy and sees our self. It is what can raise the sword of courage to combat hatred without hating. It is what can love the saint and sinner the same.
This joy sees what's the same in all of us.
And having seen, knows.
And knowing, is never the same.
Excerpts from the Writings of Stephanie Rutt
You
my everyday God.
who tirelessly beat my heart...
who endlessly breathe me...
You have drawn me into your Love with the sweetness of your gaze
You have guided me on the path of my fears with the firm hold of your hand
yes I am yours...
Before only a glimpse of you... just a taste...
Today all the shutters are flung open and the breeze of your kiss awakens me and I have danced into a stillness only imagined...
You are my love you are my love you are my love
As I lift my eyes out to the world I ache with wonder...
How will I love enough, serve enough, listen enough, forgive enough...
I pray to stay awake to each burst of laughter peering out from behind all things
for I too am emerging glad with every stroke of your hand...
sculpted free in your image... molded firm by your law
Humbly... humbly I am rising... strong... in full bloom
under the rays of your fire...
Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia
Peace Peace
Peace
THE GIFTS OF YOGA
It is
difficult for me to write about the gifts of yoga because yoga has and
continues to unfold me in ways I could have never imagined. Words do not
feel adequate to describe the process. But, I will try here to describe
the Path as best I can drawing from my own experience as well as from the
experience of fellow students and clients I am...and have been...blessed
to journey with...
The Physical Path
Like myself, many people start to do yoga because they think
it will help them to relax and feel more peaceful. One of the immediate
effects of practicing yoga is a growing awareness of where we carry
tension in the body and how relaxed the body feels after stretching and
doing the postures. Many students report a growing sense of relaxation in
the body which can be expressed in a host of ways such as in better sleep,
increased energy, greater range of movement and motion, as well as in the
reduction of stress related symptoms and illness.
The practice of yoga and meditation produces a deep sense of
relaxation while increasing mental alertness. Metabolism is often lowered
as well as levels of lactate concentration in the blood which are highly
correlated with anxiety related symptomology. The physical effects of
yoga and meditation are well documented in the health psychology and
bodymind related journals. Often, right away we begin to feel better
physically.
The Emotional Path
Once the physical body begins to relax and we learn how to
breathe diaphragmatically, we often begin to notice changes in how we
"feel". Students often report feeling more quiet and a lessening need or
desire to hurry through life. Overall, more often, the bodymind begins to
slow down. The time we spend in class practicing "being present" slowly
begins to filter into the everyday experience. This is definitely a
process and not a happening! It is something that we begin to notice by
our gradually changing reactions to everyday events. It's not something
that we plan or "do". It just happens and we notice.
Breath is closely associated with feeling. We can tell
ourselves that we are peaceful but, if we are only breathing in the upper
half or upper third of our lungs, we're not likely to "feel" peaceful.
This is why behavioral psychologists teach those with anxiety and panic
symptoms how to breathe diaphragmatically. It is the breath that brings
peace. So, as the body relaxes, the belly softens and we breathe deeply,
we begin to enter more fully into each moment with consciousness
awareness.
This conscious awareness is first experienced through the
senses which is why we practice noticing sensation. Becoming "conscious"
may require strength and courage as we begin to perhaps "see" what we have
not wanted to see before, "hear" what we have not wanted to hear before,
acknowledge what has been overlooked... etc. This is why we stress
physical grounding, as well as strength and elongation, in Beginning Yoga
class. Being well grounded in the body helps to anchor us in the present
moment supporting the growing emotional awareness. Strong on the
outside... more peaceful on the inside.
The breath teaches us that we can inhale peace and exhale what
does not serve... or what we have held onto emotionally and energetically.
Many of us have adopted holding patterns in the body which have served us
well and have helped us to survive life's difficult times. The practice
of yoga offers the opportunity to gradually release the old holding
patterns while, simultaneously, developing inner strength and peace
enabling us to respond to life's events in a different way. For most,
this process happens gradually through periodic shifts of energy while
holding a posture or through noticing subtle waves of emotion passing
through. Occasionally, usually through extended practice, we may
experience moments of more intense release.
What emerges from this process is a growing sense of
self-awareness and self-acceptance. We gradually become more present to
ourselves, others, the moment. Peace is having nothing to hide or to hide
from. We start with ourselves.
The Mental Path
Once the body is relaxed and we are breathing fully, we
naturally begin to enter into a more meditative state of mind more
easily... more often in our daily experience. Through the more formal
practice of meditation, we begin to get to know the nature of thoughts and
feelings. We sit and watch them come and go... come and go... how changing
and transient they are. At some point, we may start to wonder, "Who is
watching the thoughts and feelings pass by???" This is the beginning of
the development of what in yogic philosophy is called the "witness". The
witness is that part of you that is pure Consciousness - what some call
the true Self - that place which is more easily experienced when "the mind
is quiet...the heart is open...and the belly is soft." Mother Theresa
says that "God speaks in the silence of the heart...and we listen". I
personally believe truth is truth and that whether you are a Catholic in
contemplative prayer or a yogi in deep meditation...you are accessing one
and the same place. When we become still and quiet the mind, something
else can begin to be expressed through us.
Another important awareness which grows out of the process of
meditation is that we don't have to hide from or defend what we're
thinking or feeling. Meditation brings us into a fuller awareness of
ourselves. It is not an escape from ourselves. It brings us Home. So,
what I personally have noticed is that if I am happy, sad or mad, I can
more often just feel what's happening and then better let it go just like
all the other thoughts and feeling I experience during meditation. Less
often, I get "stuck" or obsess about something. More often, I find myself
just enjoying moments. When it comes to scary feelings, I'm not afraid
that I'm going to "fall in" or "drown" or "die" anymore. Meditation has
taught me that all thoughts and feelings can come and go...just like the
breath.
As we stop resisting and, instead, witness and invite the
experience of thoughts and feelings passing through, a growing wondrous
curiosity of the inner realms develops. We begin to know and trust
ourselves at an ever deepening and expanding level. We learn to sit, more
often, peacefully within ourselves - more self-knowledgeable, more
self-aware, trusting that the only validation needed is the one echoing
from our own inner resources. Welcome Home.
The Spiritual Path
The word "yoga" means "union" or "joining". The underlying
purpose of all the different aspects of practicing yoga is to unite the
individual self with universal Consciousness. In its full mystical
dimension, the goal is to experience this union by coming to the
realization that the Self and universal Consciousness, or the Divine, are
one. Yoga philosophy teaches that this realization can be experienced
when the bodymind is quieted allowing access into the center of
Consciousness within. On this inner journey, the various paths of yoga
are like trails to the mountain top - each leads the seeker Home.
Yoga is not a religion yet it is experienced by many to be a
spiritual path. As such, the practice of yoga should not interfere or
conflict with the practice of Christianity or any other religious
heritage. As most religions embrace the notion of developing a closer
relationship with God or Divine Consciousness, the practice of yoga can
support and enhance this path by quieting the bodymind and by expanding
inner awareness. I believe that the practice of yoga makes a Christian a
better Christian...a Jew a better Jew...a Buddhist a better
Buddhist...etc. The practice of yoga is the Path of journeying Home to
Peace.
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