Gifts and Giving

[Lisa Walford]

I am teaching Friday morning, Christmas AM. The holidays can be a difficult time for many. As December was B.K.S. Iyengar's bday, I would often travel to India to attend the annual celebrations, or I would schedule a teaching gig somewhere. I avoided the gift giving hype, the Christmas jingles, the expectations of holiday cheer. Yet in my travels, I realized that the streets in London, Tokyo and Pune were all festive with lights strung across arches and busy shoppers running around. This year is so different, a time out of time.. 

The best gift is that of health, and after that, perhaps, to be able to give to another. Next, I might suggest Peace; between family members, communities, nations. I have always been a bit of an idealist!

We have all been challenged this year, in so many ways. A century ago the world was also on the edge of disaster. I wish that I had asked my grandparents how they weathered the 1918 pandemic, the 1st world war, immigration, cultural identity. It is through our stories that we come to understand the values that enable us to withstand tremendous challenges. I honor the narrative that brings each of you to a sacred place. It might have been illness, grace, love, or even accident. But these stories are also precious. 

In our yoga practice we each have challenges that we rub against daily. These stories unfold through our relationship with them. An issue with a knee, hip, digestive system, depression, shoulders. Is it not through challenge that we grow? In Leonard Cohen's song Anthem, " There is a crack, a crack in everything / That's how the light gets in ." 

In class on Christmas day I will unpack the challenges that are ultimately the gifts that helps us bring more insight into our practice and into our lives. I hope you can join me! 

https://athome.yogaworks.com/

Yes, YogaWorks has a new home page. Your current log in and information will work. On Christmas, YogaWorks will donate one dollar for every student who attends to PATH, a global team of innovators working to accelerate health equity so all people and communities can thrive.