ANCORA IMPARO I AM STILL LEARNING
Like a bee seeking nectar, seek teachings everywhere. Like a deer, seek a quiet place to digest all that you have gathered." -Dzogchen Tantra
February 5th, 2011. I am a student of life a dedicated love anthropologist. I wear on my wrist Ancora Imparo words spoken by Michelangelo at the age of 75 years old. Translated this means "I am still learning". And anyone who knows me knows I take my love of learning seriously. I am dutifully always trying to live in a way that acknowledges the significance of each precious moment and what it teaches me.
The Yoga is always our best teacher. It stretches our mind muscle and teaches us how to connect with ourselves and accept the sense things make or make sense of things as they are. Its like working a puzzle which requires concentration and persistence in our bodies and in our hearts. It is not achieved without interest in our own learning.
So today start with the answer YES to all questions by opening up to the teachings that flow in your path whether they be good, difficult, interesting, or funny. Try to learn from all of them my friends! Keep close to heart some final inspiration from Michelangelo "And I hope that I may always desire more than I can accomplish." With heartfelt hope for us all to be students of life in the world with the desire to keep learning! Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia
PS Join me on retreat this year www.silviamordini.com Moab April 16-19, 2011 and Tuscany June 19-25, 2011 coming up!
YES AND NO TO LIFE: KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING
MARCH 22, 2009: I read this article this morning and it is by a great dear friend and teacher Todd Norian, who I dearly respect. He visits us once/year and will be end of June 2009. Save the date. Basically he takes a verse from the sutras and interprets it from a Tantric perspective. Chapter 1 verse 2 yogas citta vritti nirodah (from April Fit Yoga).
The summary of the article is this: When you say NO to something by doing so you are automatically saying YES to something else.
In class today I contexualized this during the course of the asana practice and brought in my own analogies and examples. Here I offer you the straightforward article and leave it for your own meditation. Just know this, I am always saying YES and will support you if you want to live this way too! Love you all, Silvia
ARTICLE: “We assume you can say “no” to something. But in doing that you are automatically saying “yes” to something else. In tantric philosophy we want to start with “YES”, to open, soften, and receive what the moment is offering. Then, after taking a moment to reflect, we can say “no” as a boundary to what is NOT life enhancing.
Yoga is learning to align with nature rather than resist or control it. Instead of viewing our challenges as separate from you and a problem to be solved, the Tantra sees them as a gift of embodiment, the pulse, the very essence of the flow that arises from desire. Instead of being part of the problem, desire becomes the source of the solution.
The tantrikas believe the universe is made up of desire. The universe desires to be known by becoming you. Everything in this universe is awake, which includes the ripples of the mind, like waves on the surface of a lake. The key is to see beneath the ripples to the bottom of the lake, the deepest essence of self. However the self also appears in the surface waves. Instead of going against the waves we learn how to surf.
This is very helpful in navigating the ups and downs of life – learning how to flow with them, embrace them, and know exactly what you’re saying “YES” and “NO” to, rather than pushing them away in the name of freedom.”