I hope this finds you all happy, healthy, and well.
The Holiday Season has approached again, lightening fast and almost without warning. Can you hardly believe we're almost to a New Year?
May the rest of 2007 be a time of celebration, full of friends, laughter, and good times.
Thanks for supporting Yoga with Aria.
Blessings,
Aria
Shedding Light on our Darkness
Just this week, one of my yoga teachers brought up the idea of enlightenment. Not enlightenment as a "holier than thou" state of mind. No. Absolutely not. When my teacher spoke of enlightenment, he referred to it as something that shines light on our dark side. After all, it's easy to feel enlightened if we're not challenged. If you are a hermit, living alone, in a cave and you never have to deal with hours of freeway traffic, of course you're probably a lot less stressed than the average Angeleno. Does that make you enlightened? Far from it.
Enlightenment is facing our darkness, our inner crap. Enlightenment is what happens when we shine light into a room that hasn't been opened in a long time. The dust has gathered, the cobwebs are thick, and it smells musty inside there. What do we do? Do we shut the door and go, "No way. Not today." Or do we clean that stuff out? That's the process of enlightenment.
This really spoke to me because I often feel that when these dark corners are exposed, my habitual instinct is to either shut down and ignore the situation, or face it with a feeling of dread and guilt. As a yoga teacher and the classic Virgo, I place huge expectations on myself. I have so many personal goals that are so far from being accomplished. So many things inside of me have yet to take form. So many ideas, all hidden away and locked. I feel like I shouldn't feel this way. I shouldn't get anxiety. I should be able to accomplish all my "to do" lists and goals. I should be able to write a Shakti Newsletter full of some beautiful story or insight. I "should," I "should," I "should." Simple examples, I know, but these are some of my dark corners.
So how do we deal with our darkness? Is yoga or meditation the only path to enlightenment? Absolutely not.
Personally, I don't feel that any one path is required of all. I believe that everyone can benefit from yoga and meditation, but if it doesn't call your name, why force it? We all have something that helps us face those dark corners. The key is recognizing which activities help shine light on our dark corners. Which help us transcend those spaces into inhabitable places? And which activities merely coat those inner rooms with even more dust?
For some people, writing music is far more enlightening than taking a yoga class. For others, it's dancing, surfing, jogging, etc. You get the idea. I believe that any activity, approached with consciousness, can help us shed light on ourselves. And I would caution you to be wary of so-called "enlightened" persons who insist on imposing one belief system on all. When we start to judge what others choose to do, or not do, we must question why we feel so compelled to focus our energy on other people, instead of on ourselves.
It's okay to have bad habits. It's okay to open those dark rooms and immediately shut the door again. It's okay to not deal with our stuff. But some day, at some point, we have to shed light on our darkness if we're ever going to be okay with who we are. Otherwise, we become lost in a cloud of dust, locked away in the recesses of past guilt.
Over this holiday season, I encourage you to make an effort to seek out activities that help you become more aware of your inner space.
In closing, this month, instead of sharing a breath with you, I would like to share a poem:
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
Some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
Who violently sweep your house
Empty of its furniture.
Still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you
Out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
Meet them at the door laughing.
And invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
Because each has been sent
As a guide from beyond.
-- Rumi
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Cool Happenings Around Town :-)
Create:Fixate -Saturday, Dec. 1st. 7pm - 2am. Downtown Los Angeles.
It's time for another one of L.A.'s hottest underground secrets. Create:Fixate's parties bring together local art and music in chill, relaxed atmosphere. This month, Create:Fixate celebrates six years of art and music with a salon-style, retrospective exhibit. Gallery preview: 4-7pm, $5 suggested donation. Official event: 7pm -2am, $15 Admission. 613 Imperial St., Downtown Los Angeles, CA. For more info: www.createfixate.com/nexteventM06.html
Harmonie's 3 year anniversary - Friday, December 7th. 7pm - 11pm. Venice Beach, CA.
Voted one of the styliest stores in Los Angeles several years running, Harmonie is your place to find a perfect gift for that very fashionable person in your life. The three year anniversary party features an open bar with delicious seasonal cocktails, as well as music, DJ's, and style. Harmonie. 2800 Abbott Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA. www.ShopHarmonie.com
Mighty Fine Holiday Sale - Saturday, Dec 8th. 8 am to 2 pm. Downtown Los Angeles, CA.
If ya love T-shirts, check out Mighty Fine's Holiday Sale. ALL brands onsale, including Public Library, Topless, Trash N Luxury, Mini Fine, Doe. Mighty Fine is located at: 2010 E. 15th St, LA, CA 90021.
Eco Gift Expo - Dec. 15th, 9am - 8pm. Dec. 16th, 9am - 5pm. Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.
Get all your Holiday gifts in one place, with 150 Eco-Conscious companies to choose from. While shopping for your loved ones, enjoy organic food and drinks, live jazz, performers, and magicians. 10% of all revenue will go to Global Green USA and the Whole Planet Foundation. Tickets available online, at: www.EcoGift.com
Dali, Dali, Dali - ongoing through February at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
For lovers of film and art, even those who've already seen the Dali Museum, in Figueras, Spain, the LACMA exhibit is a must. This exhibit is the first to focus on the relationship between the paintings and films of the worlds' most famous surrealist. LACMA. 5905 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA.
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ONGOING PUBLIC CLASSES:
Mondays 7:15pm - 8:45pm Level 2/3 Vinyasa Flow at Silverlake Yoga
Wednesdays: 8:00pm - 9:30pm Donation Yoga at the Wilenskys. Pico/Fairfax area.
Saturdays 5:00pm - 6:30pm All-level Vinyasa Flow at Bodies in Motion, West L.A.
For an updated daily schedule of where I am teaching and subbing every week: yogawitharia.com/schedule.htm
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