Way of Being
Yoga as a Transformative Art
| Newsletter
February 2009 |
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 Shanti and Welcome!
This month I encourage you to open the gates of your mind and your heart, and be receptive to the wind of ideas that blow through the branches of your being.
ENJOY!
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Focus
for the month of February is
Receptivity
Willingness or readiness to receive, especially impressions or ideas.
Through February our practice will encourage receptivity of body, mind, and spirit.
| Inspiring Quotes
 "The Creative knows the great beginnings. The Receptive completes the finished things. The Creative is decided and therefore shows to men the easy. The Receptive is yielding and therefore shows to men the simple. Learning is movement from moment to moment."
J. Krishnamurti
"Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal."
Hermann Hesse
"The receptivity of the artist must never be confused with passivity. Receptivity is the artist's holding him or herself alive and open to hear what being may speak."
Rollo May
| | Monthly Kriya
Being Receptive.
Take a few minutes each day to quiet the body and mind. Allow your full awareness to focus on the breath and eventually allow the breath to breathe you. Feel your mind and heart softly opening. As you gently surrender all physical and mental activity, stay consciously attuned to subtle ideas or impressions (symbols and feelings) that pass through your being. Now, take a moment to write down these new insights.
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Courage To Receive
Elaina Beam
 The ability to receive requires tremendous courage. We are taught that courage is often synonymous with independence and self-sufficiency, but this should not be confused with isolation. To be courageous means being receptive to all the universe offers.
So, what does it mean to be courageous? How does courage interface with receptivity and eventually play out in our lives?
It requires immense courage to have a child, to confront disease, to accept the death of a loved one, to enter into war, or to fight the battles of life and death when it seems against all odds. Acts of courage are numerous, yet many go unnoticed.
It takes a great deal of courage to understand the nature of our minds, to confront the patterns of our lives, to choose a direction that seems to negate the interest of family and friends, or to stand in our truth amidst adversary. When we dissect courage we begin to see that courage is not only an external act with obvious effects, it is also a profound inner connection to one's ability to receive. An act of courage is opening to receive inner counsel and choosing to act in accordance with your own advice. It is standing in your power and living an authentic life.
When our actions are aligned with our inner nature, we build a relationship of trust with our higher self. In yoga, we call this aspect of self, Atma. Having the courage to receive becomes necessary in a growing relationship with Atma, as we must listen to the soft whispers and subtle messages that bubble up within our being and heed this guidance.
Relationship to Atma is the first and most vital relationship one can cultivate. By being receptive to the nature of Atma, we begin to trust our inner voice. The more receptive and willing we are to accept our inner knowing, the more courageous our actions will be. Living in accordance with Atma is the most courageous act, we can demonstrate. When aligned with Atma, courage becomes a responsibility to Self. With this alignment, courage transforms your being and every action becomes an act of courage. As you surrender your will to receive the wisdom of Atma, you experience the balanced truth of your most authentic and courageous being.
Daily Reflections
Ask yourself. . .
When have I recently demonstrated an act of courage and how did I value this?
How often do I act in accordance to my inner guidance and when do I ignore these messages?
What can I do to be more receptive to subtle messages from my highest Self?
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| May each moment of this coming month be filled with ease and calm revelation.
With love and attention,
Elaina
Namaste!
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Way of Being | www.wayofbeingyoga.com | Portland | OR | 97202
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