An Alison Miller Blog

Aparigraha - non-grasping - release neediness and attachment, trust the flow of life, celebrate the success of others and offer compassion when others suffer.  Simply put.  Simple to practice?  Often, but often not.  Yoga, when practiced, on and off the mat, becomes a lifestyle.  I have been dreaming of a style of life where I am living with friends on a piece of land in Maui, working together, growing food, planting dreams, healing the earth, healing our hearts, healing the heart of the earth as our united dream.  As I step closer into this dream, the cradle of Aparigraha is the rocker to ease the nettles of personalities, ego fires and rigid expectations.  The Universe continues to provide with amazing benevolence all the while my mind plays it’s games.  So I remember - let go, celebrate the success of others and offer compassion when others suffer.

Can we remember when stepping towards and into our dreams to trust the flow of life?  To know that we are held is a divine gift. One that takes patience. Said well in the Tao Te Ching:  “Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?  Can you remain unmoving til the right action arises by itself?”.  This is the heart of the eight fold yoga path and Aparigraha.  Next time a situation arises, that is unexpected and frustrating, put to practice your off the mat flow and let go. Have patience.  Let the proper action present itself to you.

The sun is rising. The sky is awake. Colors of crimson and orange paint the morning.  I breath in the tranquil Maui dawn sounds.  My eyes open. My heart is alive. I relish the hours before the bustle of daily life begins.  Yoga crawled into my bed and woke this lumbering body.  Whispering of sweet nectar to be shared.  A beautiful book named Yoga Gems leaped off the shelf as I enter my yoga room.  Authored by Georg Feuerstein.  A book of philosophical quotations illuminating yoga concepts. A particular quote struck me this morning.  A passage on devotion by, Shankara.  “Like a cloud drifting in the sky, devotion pours down showers of bliss. He whose mind gets filled like a reservoir reaps the entire fruit of his birth, none other.” Can you see the clouds in the sky and imagine your dedication spanning the heavens?  Can you move in you daily life, like the clouds of the sky, showering down what comprises your Self?  Does this mean that the body is filled with bliss and it is through our devotion we experience the the essence of what is true within us?

The waning moon over Maui is shining bright tonight.  A tropical breeze blows gently and misty clouds are dancing in the sky.  After leaving this evenings kirtan, devotional singing, event I caught a glimpse of the moon framed by the rocking frawns of the resident palm trees.  Doing a yoga of their own, balancing and breathing, I stopped in my tracks and asked my friend, “how blessed are we?”.  In all honesty I really had to ask.  Because sometimes the mind can forget to connect the miraculousness of daily nature.  Through our regular yoga practice we begin to become more sensitized to our environment and then remember we too are a part of nature.  Yoga draws us back to a place of living from our own true nature.  In some odd, magical and scientific way all the twisting, turning and pretzel like manuveurs we do, land us back onto the powerful strip of knowing which exsists beyond all time and embodies all beings into Oneness. Who would have thought a sequence of postures could excavate our ego’s so pointedly. Leaving behind the world of should’s, the drive for external validation, and the misplaced value system of a materially driven society to birth a new world, a new paradigm where we understand our purpose in life is to shine like the beams of a moon.  As naturally as this light falls to the earth is as naturally as we are designed to move through the world in our daily life.  What a thought you were born to be as the beam of light is to the moon?  Hmmm, things to ponder on this moonlit Maui yogi night.

The evening is quiet and the Maui wind is gently blowing. A fragrant Hawaiian Pikake tree is in full bloom just steps from my window. As I write I deeply inhale receiving this decadent aroma.  Tonight, I am grateful for a wonderful yoga class at The Studio Maui in Haiku.  As a teacher one of the greatest gifts to receive is a heartfelt class taught by another.  From this calm space I connect with the outer wind blowing and am reminded of the inner winds in my body, for now running smooth and aligned.  As in Chinese medicine, yoga is based on a deep science of energy - commonly referred to as “the inner winds”.  The yoga practice is designed to create a physical and physiological alignment throughout the body so that energy can run smoothly and fluidly throughout the body.  When the inner winds are stagnate or erratically paced, the emotional body will be disturbed, as the mind will be unable to focus.  The physical practice and the breath practice of yoga will cause your inner winds to move so your body and mind are at there healthiest state. Notice in the weather patterns that surround you how high winds have an impact that is quite different than soft gentle breezes.  Now imagine the inner winds blowing in your body at these different strengths.  Can you see what a difference it makes to have your energy moving smoothly in your system?  Keep practicing.

I was in the locally famous cafe, Anthony’s, of Paia, Maui last week. While waiting in line for my scrumptious blueberry smoothie, I overheard two gentlemen speaking. The conversation was highlighting, largely, the increase in cost of shipping of goods to Maui. The undertone of the overall conversation was one of dread and unhappiness. Whether it was the flooding of sugary blue that entered my belly or simply years of training to be self-reflective I had a flash of insight during there conversation. I created a movie screen in my mind. I could see the joy of these men. I saw them laughing and talking about what they were happiest about. I imagined a yoga retreat of an instantaneous nature descending upon them. Providing the feelings of being relaxed, inspired and deeply connected to their best selves. Now, keep in mind, the unassuming cafe patrons had no idea what I was creating in my mind. Yet, there was an immediate lift in their tone and the first gentleman, who had a daughter, was suddenly disctracted by her request for a blueberry smoothie! He laughed and smiled and the conversation changed direction. A short and sweet story to share the way we can uplift ourselves and each other - retreating to the yoga of the mind. Can we twist the neural pathways of our perceptions like we twist our limbs like pretzels? Can we hold the vision of others as their radiant, happy selves even when they, themselves, are feeling otherwise? Give it a try. Next time you hear a conversation of an unenlightening nature add your yoga of the mind and enlighten the conversation, silently to yourself, notice what happens! Love to hear your results.

Yoga is a scientific system that approaches life uniquely and powerfully. We
can see the principles of the yoga practice demonstrated in nature. Imagine
yourself walking through a lush Maui bamboo forest while observing the
trees, waterfalls and flowers. Now imagine you can see beyond the surface of
these natural wonders. Imagine seeing the root system of the symphonic
bamboos, seeing the smell of the fragrant ginger flower petals or imagine
the feeling of being immersed below the bed of the waterfall streams. All of
these imagined experiences draw your consciousness into a union with that
which exists beyond the human eye, yet can be felt through the senses. Yoga,
like nature, has many parts, when observed, reveal a world that can be
experienced deeply yet is not initially seen at first glance. It is a
practice that requires time, dedication and consistency. The fruits of the
practice are in the devotion. A forest grows in a steady slow nature, as
does a yoga practice. A flower blooms to give the gift of fragrance. Yoga
asana births a fragrance of light that shines through the human skin.
Waterfalls flow giving movement to pools of water and giving us the gift of healing and pleasure. Practicing yoga one experiences a flow that feeds our soul and gives our soul a land in which to swim.