FUN YOGA IS SACRED FUN IS LILA TANDAVA
OCTOBER 2ND, 2009: Yoga helps us to reconnect to the blatant FUN available in life! We’re moving and breathing and trying our best to put ourselves in funny looking shapes without any competition….when did we last do this? Oh yeah, as kids we did it all the time.
Each class can be a grand adventure! Willfred Peterson in the Art of Living says, “A man practices the art of adventure when he heroically faces up to life; When he has the daring to open doors to new experiences and to step boldly forth to explore strange horizons. When he is unafraid of new ideas, new theories and new philosophies. When he has the curiosity to experiment--to test and try new ways of living and thinking. When he has the flexibility to adjust and adapt himself to the changing patterns of life. When he refuses to seek safe places and easy tasks. When he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints. When he has the nerve to move out of life's shallows and venture forth into the deep. When he keeps his heart young, his expectations high and never allows his dreams to die. When he concludes that a rut is only another name for the grave and that the only way to stay out of the ruts is by living adventurously and staying vitally alive every day of his life.”
In yogic teachings you can think of this as Lila Tandava, “The Playful Dance of Life.” We don’t have to travel to exotic places to have adventures we can stand on a sticky mat and explore the radiance and playfulness of life within the playground of ourselves. But first we have to SHOW UP. This showing up is known as Tapas. Taking the action to walk onto the mat for the most Sacred Fun you can possibly imagine!
So if today you walk into class and don’t feel very playful the yoga is still going to work to help you soften your edges and be a little less serious. Make no mistake, Yoga has serious benefits but we don’t have to practice in a way that is overly hard or serious. I wish for all of us that the yoga we do makes us feel lighter and more radiant. This you take with you and spread sacred fun into the whole of the world. And quite frankly, the world could use a lot more Sacred Fun, now more than ever. BIG LOVE! Silvia