Faith at Easter

The week before Easter, we had the theme of Faith for our yoga classes. It seems timely at Easter and as we have battled Cyclones, major slips, flooding, Covid is still around, a recession hovering, it is understandable if we sense a loss of Faith in the Earth and Life, and Fear within.

Ishvara Pranidhana/ Surrendering to God or a Higher Power, is one of  Patanjali’s Sutras, the Fifth  Niyama /Observance, whether God, Buddha, trusting in the unfolding of the Universe, aligning with our most authentic selves through our own Faith. Yoga is not a religion, it is a spiritual practice, yet Easter gives an opportunity to connect to one’s spirit, soul as I think it does help in life to have Faith in a Higher Power, supporting a path to one’s Higher Self.

Shraddha is the Sanskrit word for Faith or Trust, trusting in something we cannot see, the unknown, trusting our life’s journey. Faith in the belief that something good is going to happen or Fear that something bad will happen, our worries seem so real but mostly they don’t happen and things change and pass. Trust and Faith require us to pause, to be present with our own shifting energies, to feel, so we strengthen our optimism through awareness and transformation, then we are strong enough to handle what comes up, we are!   Choose Faith above Fear.

Faith is a positive flow, Yoga giving Faith in your body

Yoga gives us a conscious opportunity to embody Faith. You can begin seated in Sukhasana, taking time to tune inward, to bring awareness to the body, to feel its structure, the bones, joints, muscles, balancing each side, the skeleton, the skin, what you feel familiar with in your body, the stability and structure of the back body, the more changing energies and vulnerability of your front body, developing trust in stillness and your calm strong centre.

Shraddha gives us Trust in the Pauses with awareness to the Khumbha Breath, pausing at the top of the inhale and bottom of the exhale, trusting the inhale to come of its own accord. Adding Sama Vritti, the 4 count Breath, 4 equal sides to the breath, the pauses giving us the spaces between the thoughts.

Adding movement to the breath now, leading with the breath always, releasing the body, observing tension and tightness, letting go of fear, adding awareness, strength and stability for Faith in your body.

Perhaps some self discovering poses, then Faith to flow, transitioning, transforming, allowing change.

Savasana, surrendering now, coming down to an open receptive replenishing space, quiet, nuturing, grounding the back body to the simple guidance of Papatuanuku/ Mother Earth and the front body light and open to Ranginui/ Father Sky, listening inward, allowing an unfolding of Faith in the process of transformation. Observing the journey of the breath, following it in, quiet, calm now, pause and receive it, no strain, follow it out, emptying, Faith and respect for the cycle of breath, the cycle of life.