Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I feel free.
For the month of July, I’ve been focusing on freedom, specifically the yogic concept of moksa. In his book The Four Desires, Rod Stryker describes moksha as “the longing for liberation, true freedom,” a desire all humans have for “lasting peace,” a desire “to experience the sacred, whether it is found in church, temple, mosque, contemplative solitude, Nature, or self-inquiry.” According to Stryker moksha is a universal longing “to be completely unburdened…free of suffering.”
That’s a pretty tall order, to be free of suffering. Yet that is my wish for you and for all. I’ve been thinking about this concept in relation to my GLOW community quite a bit this month. Almost exactly a month ago, right after we would have had our Summer Solstice fundraiser, my disappointment over the postponement due to inclement weather was transformed to JOY. I was truly overjoyed to learn that Joi, daughter of GLOW co-founder LaVeeda Simmons made it through yet another surgery to align her spine and relieve some of the suffering she lives with because of a syndrome that weakens her muscles and doesn’t allow her to grow and develop in ways most of us take for granted. What a JOY that JOI PERSISTS!
She and her family are so strong and so courageous in so many ways, as is my own GLOW mentee, and all our GLOW girls and families. Different girls and families face different challenges. Some families are food insecure or struggle to afford other basics, such as hygiene supplies. Some lack access to safe and reliable transportation and housing, high quality healthcare and education, or the technological resources they need to make online learning workable. The mother of one of our girls recently tested positive for COVID-19, and I pray every day for her healing and for the health and wellness of her four children. My mentee recently witnessed the loss of a loved one to gun violence. I give thanks every day that she survived and pray for her continued healing, as well as for healing within her community, our nation, and the wider world.
Our risks may look different.
But we all live with risk.
That is part of the human experience.
So is the longing for freedom (moksha)
and joy (kama).Part of what I appreciate about GLOW and about yoga and meditation, is that they are all about not only mitigating risk but transforming it.
They are about not just surviving but thriving,
finding joy in the midst.
This pandemic has turned the world upside down (expect some inversions in this week’s practices!) and most days I’m just grateful my friends and family have thus far survived. I pray that continues to be the case. But that is not my only desire. I also wish for my friends and family, for my GLOW community, for all beings to thrive, to know the freedom of joy and a lasting peace.
America lost some heroes this week, Freedom Riders, who spent their lives advocating for nonviolent action in pursuit of that very kind of freedom and lasting peace. C.T. Vivian and John Lewis “went full force into the fray” of the civil rights movement. Beaten and jailed, nevertheless, they persisted nonviolently and, as Rev. Jesse Jackson put it, “we are better because [they] came this way.” Jackson described Vivian as “one of the tallest trees in the civil rights forest” (expect some Tree poses this week as well!), and said Vivian “never stopped dreaming…never stopped fighting” for racial and social justice.
Katharine Q. Seelye writes in the NY Times that John Lewis, known by some as the “conscience of the Congress,” was similarly relentless in his advocacy on behalf of “disadvantaged people everywhere,” undeterred by what he recently described as the “very long road toward freedom, justice for all humankind.”
Moksha: freedom from suffering. That is my wish for you and yours, indeed, for all humankind. It’s a tall order. But worth the persistence, nevertheless. Both Vivian and Lewis are now free from suffering, at peace. Both recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom walked the walk and inspired countless others to join their march. So, rather than grieving the death of “the conscience of the Congress,” my hope is that the marching orders these remarkable Americans left will motivate us all not only to endure, to simply survive these challenging times (not a bad goal in and of itself!), but to live in a way that promotes a thriving, joyous, lasting peace and freedom for all.
Thank you, as always, for using your practice to bring a little light, joy, and peace to the world–you GLOW! Namaste
Do what you can do and do it well…but always ask your question: Is it serving people?”
C.T. Vivian
“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime.”
John Lewis