viernes, 15 de noviembre de 2013

Authorization matters...to me


Copio un artículo que escribí hoy sobre los credenciales en mi escuela en India.  Debido a la gran cantidad de gente que está yendo a Mysore,  el tema de las autorizaciones se ha puesto de "moda".  Este es mi humilde punto de vista,  veremos si lo publican.  Escrito con el mayor amor por mis maestros.

www.kpjayi.org



Authorization in Ashtanga Yoga has become a hot topic lately.
Just read an article with many opinions, most of them anonymous.  I don't know if writing this article will get me in trouble,  but i feel i need to speak for myself and maybe for many of my friends who feel similar to me.

There is a love in Ashtanga Yoga.  Is a love that is hard to explain and that goes beyond any paper,  authorization or certification.  Only some of those of us who have been to Mysore several times and studied with Guruji and Sharath know what i am talking about.  Now the world is flocking to Mysore:  our school has become the "Harvard" of yoga,  according to some.  To me,  it remains the little shala guarded by this strong and reliable teacher,  my Guru,  Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.  It has grown in physical space and numbers,  but the essence of what i found in Mysore is a deep secret chamber inside my heart.

My story is very unusual and i share it because some say going to Mysore is expensive and family responsibilities impair them to do it.  I feel is a calling from the heart.  I met my Guru when i was a single mother with four small children on my back and a deep depression in my being.  Life felt useless.  Life felt dull.

I could never repay my Gurus for turning the lights on again.  When i went to India for the first time,  it was such a sacrifice in all senses that i swore it would be my one and only trip.  Then more have followed and i can only say Grace came into my life and made things happen.

Things worked out miraculously and life started shining again.  In my hometown Costa Rica i had no teacher and yet, every encounter- once or twice a year- with Guruji and Sharath was enough to fill my soul with bliss and enthusiasm.  I remarried and had three more baby boys and they have never felt like a nuissance or obstacle to pursue my spiritual path.  On the contrary,  they are my inspiration to keep my focus and intention to go back.

Always go back.

Mysore marks you.  The Shala stays with you all year long.  Beyond the social scene,  my time is Mysore is my sacred time.  Time to reflect, go inside and feel where am i in my life.  My daughter has been once with me and my third son is coming next january to practice for the first time there.  My intention is to bring the whole troop:  seven souls who chose me as their mom because somehow they knew i was serious enough.

I would give up eating if necessary if that meant i could touch my Guru´s feet again.  Things always work out and the Love keeps spreading.  The practice gives me the mental clarity and the energy to make things happen, tie up loose ends and pack my bags and go.  And everything is fine when i come back to San Jose:  God is always taking care of all of us.  My beloved,  my babies, the students and the shala.

Deeper trust keeps expanding.  I am not in charge,  i am just following the Love.  I will keep going to Mysore,  beyond any authorization or certification.  It´s not about the paper for many of us,  is about the Love for our teachers and a deep gratitude for the transformation they have ignited in us.  Of course,  we need to do our part and do our practice.  Wake up early, sweat, get injured,  have patience. Keep going.  And we feel part of something greater that ourselves.  Something very sacred and beloved,  beyond any words.  Hard to explain it from the outside.  Easy to understand if you are part of the gang.

As more technicalities get in the way since more people are coming,  i wonder how many of them will truly get in tune with this Love.  I wonder it they will practice and teach from that space.  If they will honor and defend our teachers with their lives  if necessary. Like close family,  even closer than that.  The Guru is inside of each one of us and lives in our hearts beyond these bodies.  Their presence reconfirms our practice everyday.

Without them we would be nothing.

So authorization matters to me...yes.  Having my Guru´s blessing means i am protected and safe.  Many energies along the path that will try to knock us off.  But beyond the fear,  i remember Guruji´s words:

"Why fear? Pray God."

Vande Gurunam Charanaravinde...sweet words that resonate in my being every day.

And they always bring back the Presence and the love.
That is what really matters to me.-

1 comentario:

  1. Que ternura. Tender true love. It is not required of everyone, but it is so lovely to know it is possible for devoted, dedicated, loving, students.

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