In the former post on healing I introduced the concept of using body awareness and breath to begin to cultivate a deeper relationship with our bodies and minds. Of course this is a very rich subject and I am certain that future posts will offer more in the way of insight and information in that arena. But for purposes of getting a broader view, I'd like to move on to the next level in personal healing. It is fitting that I am writing this on the first day of February--a month dedicated to love! That is precisely the quality that we are seeking when we are involved in this work of making ourselves whole. In fact, I shared with my yoga classes today the Latin root of the word "courage" comes from cor which means heart. One original definition of the word courage was "To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart." This suggests that a willingness to be wholehearted in our lives is key to living authentically. Brene Brown wrote a wonderful book called "The Gifts of Imperfection" on this subject. (Note to self--a future post on healing perfectionism, specifically, is on the horizon)!
So once we begin to gain access to ourselves by sensitising to our feelings in connection to our bodies, the heart begins to open automatically and we may even find ourselves feeling things that we haven't actually felt in a long time. This can make way for memories to surface, dreams may become more lucid, etc. And for most of us there is an overwhelming sense that there just "has to be more" to our experience than what our sensory experience makes clear. This is such an important feeling to listen to and move toward. However, this requires quite a bit of courage because for most of us to open beyond what is familiar or comfortable can be unsettling. Again, this is where a practice (like yoga) can aid us in opening (stretching!) beyond our limits with wisdom and intelligence in order to grow and ultimately find greater freedom.
I don't know many grown people who haven't endured a fair amount of heartbreak in their lives. It can begin in childhood with parenting (or lack of) issues, and later with unrequited love, divorce, loss of loved ones, and any type of pain caused by relationships gone bad. . . . Who hasn't had to deal with such things? The good news is that this is all fodder for healing on a deeper level. Healing the heart is about invoking the qualities of forgiveness, compassion, love, acceptance, gratitude and so on. This is usually the point in one's life path that she begins to seek out different spiritual paths that can offer a context for all that is surfacing. Again, follow this prompting of your heart. I recognize that this is a touchy subject for a lot of people (pun!) and to be clear, I am not pushing any one path. I can only share my experience and I offer it in a spirit of respect. I spent many years seeking and studied several different religions/spiritual paths. In fact one of my B.A. degrees is in Comparative Religion because it is a subject of immense personal interest. To make a long story abbreviated, I settled on the Sufi Spiritual path after meeting my guide in 2002. The Sufis have been referred to as the "mad lovers of God" and Sufism is a path of Love. Rumi and Hafiz, the widely regarded poets, were Sufis. I found that if I was really serious about going deeper into my heart/consciousness that I needed a teacher or guide. A simple analogy: if you are travelling to a foreign country and know nothing about where to go or how to get around, you would like to have a map--and perhaps better yet, a guide or someone that knows the landscape well in order to show you around, right? Well this is what an established path and teacher, guide, guru, saint, or holy person can do for our walking. Perhaps, for many, seeking a new path isn't necessary, but going deeper into your own is what is required. Ironically, the Sufi path has brought me closer to my own Christian roots and the teachings of Jesus, and my family and I go to church weekly. When we get caught in making pictures about what we think is right, based on our limited understanding (or wounds) then we stop ourselves from the purpose for which we were created: to know Love (or God, Jesus, Allah, Buddha). And this Love (Divinely inspired) is what heals. Often it arrives unlike what we'd expect. But if you are sincere and wholehearted in what you desire and work to align your heart with this love by healing all that keeps you from it, then you are on your way to significant transformation. My guide, Sidi Al-Jamal says:
"When you find the love, you find yourself. The secret is in the love. You are the love, not another. Everything is in the love, and everything needs the love. If you find this, what more could you want? When you have the knowledge of the love, you feel peace in your heart. The jewels are inside you."
Contemplate this quote and decide for yourself what it means. It is the heart of my own daily practice and what calls me back again and again when I go astray. The greatest healing occurs when we can apply this kind of remembrance to our pain and suffering. It is the essence of Sufi healing and something I look forward to sharing much more of, perhaps, in a workshop setting this Spring!
Here is a simple exercise to get you started on your own healing: set aside some quiet time with your journal and a pen. Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Let your awareness settle in your heart and breathe there gently. Notice how your heart feels (expanded, constricted, shaky, still, hot, cold, colors, images, voices?) and write down what you experience. Go back inside and use your awareness to "go behind" that first experience and move a little deeper. Use your breath to open your heart and move inside a bit deeper. From that place ask your heart for a word or image to connect you to the Divine. Pause and allow as much time as necessary. I find that for many people this comes very quickly but the mind enters with doubt and uncertainty. Trust what comes! And spend 3-5 minutes with the word or image and pay attention to what (if anything) arises. Be sure to make notes, or draw in your journal. If possible practice this simple meditation each day in conjunction with any other practices you may already have in place. It will begin to strengthen the qualities that you may need for your own healing on any given day. Stay open and have the courage to move into your heart. Your own healing in this capacity, is precisely the medicine our world is in dire need of now!
With Love,
Jenny
