the yoga sutras of travel; part 16

TAT PARAM PURUSA KHYATER GUNAVAITRSNYAM

TAT= THAT, THIS

PARAM= SUPREME

PURUSA= TRUE “SELF”

KHYATER= DUE TO THE REALIZATION

GUNAS= CONSTITUENTS OF NATURE

VAITRSNYAM= NON-THIRST

WHEN THERE IS NON-THIRST FOR EVEN THE GUNS (CONSTITUENTS OF NATURE) DUE TO THE REALIZATION OF THE PARUSHA (TRUE SELF), THAT IS SUPREME NON-ATTACHMENT

Each AcroYoga immersion you enter has a similar feel. There is a wonderful anticipation and welcoming of new people, places and spaces. Each Immersion with its very unique blend of individuals also seems to take on its distinctive community signature or vibe that is unlike the pulse of any other immersion you have participated in. It is a co-created adventure between students and teachers, individuals and small groups. 

During the final day (5) of the Nelson Elemental Immersion, we had collectively discovered that the topic of consciously choosing your path had surfaced repeatedly among the various groups. Several of the participants were moving toward powerful life shifts just before, during, or immediately after this event. Changing jobs, schools, moving, having children, and many other life altering situations were bringing about a level of excitement coupled with the perfectly normal amount of uncertainty. We continues to work throughout the week to find personal clarity in all that we were doing while actively trying to let go. 

According to Ayurveda (the sister science of yoga, or life science) the constituents of nature (the gunas) are either Sattva (Pure) or leaning toward one of the extremes;   Tamas (heavy, dull, lethargic) or Rajas (stimulating, action, mutation). it is human nature to dip towards the sides, but the aim is to ease ourselves towards the middle where we are light in thought, word and deed. This middle state brings us closer to finding our True Self. 

The true self is always there, but like Waldo, it can be difficult to locate. We distract ourselves by assuming we are the temporary thought or action rather than understanding that we are the constant that is simply experiencing the thought or the action. When we take ourselves to be these impermanent cloaks when can settle into a path that might be the most skillful way to illuminate our path. Many of us will create our own roadblocks and barriers to our own happiness by never really looking at who we really are or what we are wanting from this life. It is scary to ask such questions when we know that often it will lead us in a potentially different direction from where we are and change is often a frightening concept. In reality it is usually our massive personally created mental  dance around our excuses not to step towards our ultimate happiness that causes more pain than the actual shift itself. We must be willing to release all to gain even more. 

I have currently transitioned to Sydney, AU where I am having a heartfelt reunion with my acro-sisters Stefanie Glasenapp and Julia Weis. It has been several years since our last reunion. We are so grateful for this opportunity to reconnect.

On our way to Wellington, just before B heads back to the states and I head to Sydney, our ferry was canceled so we had a joyful little ride in a very tiny plane. The cows wished us well on our journey.

Brian will be almost home after almost 36 hours of constant travel (Picton to Nelson to Wellington to Auckland to LA to NYC, bus to Delaware Water Gap and a cab ride home) by the time I get this posted.