Dear Yogis,
There’s a lot of people on the internet experimenting right now with how the intention they place on matter changes the nature of matter as it’s being observed.
They lay out three jars of cooked rice. One jar they tell terrible things to like I hate you, you’re disgusting, you’re the worst. The second- I love you, you’re beautiful, you’re so loved, so wonderful and the third is completely ignored.
After some time passed, the love jar was fragrantly fermenting with little to no mold and no bad odor. The hate jar had mold and an unpleasant smell, but worst of all, the ignored jar was in the worst shape- it became absolutely putrid.
I think it speaks volumes to what we place our attention on in ourselves, our friends, our families and our lives at large and HOW we place our attention on those things.
The point of yoga is to reunite with the true self, the inner consciousness whose nature is bliss and love. A vehicle for that is sankalpa, or intention in the yoga world. Not just intention for ourselves but the Sangha or community as a whole.
This month, I encourage you to grow in love in all aspects of your life, and sometimes that means leaning into what’s uncomfortable and reframing your relationship to it intentionally. Don’t keep ignoring what you have been or it may fester and pollute the whole system it lives within.
What does your relationship with your body look like these days? If it were rice, how have you been speaking to it? Is there a way to grow in love here?
Do you realize the thoughts and the mind are made of matter too? Only more subtle. How have you been relating to your thoughts as they pass through the screen of the mind? Is there a way to find compassion and love for our minds and thought processes? Even the shadow self? How are we speaking existence into that rice?
What about our relationships? With children, spouses, friends, lovers, co-workers? What are we pouring into that rice?
Can we create a collective intention to grow in love this month? Not just with ourselves but the world around us? A state of yoga is a state of being in love, maintaining love and growing love perpetually.
Coming back to the teachings, the practice and the mat consistently will help get you there!
Looking forward to seeing you around the studio soon!
Peace and Love,
Amanda and the good folks at Revolution Yoga
Originally shared in our April 2024 newsletter.