There’s just something about Mondays. You wake up with your week’s worth of work on your mind and just go about your life. This morning, I was about half way through packing my children’s lunch thinking about throwing an extra orange in my son’s bag (he has a cold), when I again remembered that 20 families weren’t packing lunches today. I looked down at the orange, I smelled the orange, I pressed it to my heart and then my lips and placed it in my son’s bag as if that piece of fruit magically infused with a mother’s love could keep him safe.
As my son and daughter headed out the door, a nasty waive of fear started to build, and I reminded myself that they would be okay. It was an aberration. It couldn’t happen at my children’s school. I mentally walked through all the ways anyone could possibly get into their school given the lock down procedures there. I found more than a few.
So what can be done? What actionable steps can I personally take today to facilitate a transformation in the consciousness of a society that to me is archaic and violent despite incredible access to knowledge, education, freedom, and money. My first answer was I don’t know. It seems that the wheels of government are stuck, the desires of individuals are in conflict, and the ideas of most are rooted in fear. It’s like we are on some slow moving luxury train. We are warm, dry, and very comfortable. We know the track ends, but the train is moving so slow and that track sure isn’t going to end for awhile. In fact, I bet in the future, they will build more track before we even get there….right? And no worries for me, I’m in the middle, not the front of the train, so I’ll be alright. Nothing will happen to me.
My second answer was yoga. We can all do more yoga; life as yoga. We can learn to do the following:
- Take a pause. In every moment of stress, conflict, or anxiety, just pause and breathe. Give yourself a moment to respond instead of react.
- Be kind. Just be sweet to those you meet. Be sweet to even the not so sweet. Wish them light and love and let them go their way.
- Do a little black and white thinking. In any moment of choice for thoughts, words, and deeds, ask yourself if your choice is bringing darkness or light to the world. (Guns are dark in case you were confused about that).
- Be an example. Show up as a beacon of light, love, and compassion.
- Express your desires. Every time you spend money, you are voting for how you want your world to be. Vote for light. Things that cause darkness include: guns, violent movies and books, pornography, alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and of course all the non-food of SAD (Standard American Diet).
- Be the healer that you are. You are here to help and to serve others. Notice those around you suffering and take action. Don’t wait for solutions to come from that slow moving train.
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*The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of ayurveda, yoga, and meditation. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease. If you have any serious acute or chronic health concern, please consult a trained health professional who can fully assess your needs and address them effectively. Check with your doctor before taking herbs or using essential oils when pregnant or nursing.