Dear Yoga Friends,
Important concepts and qualities of many contemplative paths are often described through the metaphor of bird wings. I have received the teaching of wisdom & compassion as two practices that lift a student out of suffering. They are both necessary, and the practitioner cannot fly without access to both.
A few days ago I was reading a translation of Rumi’s poetry by Maryam Mafi and Azima Melita Kolin, and I found this gem:
Seeker, when you feel your soul contracting
know it is for your own good
allow not your heart to burn with grief.
In times of expansion you spend
and this expenditure requires
an income of painful soul searching.
If it was always summer, the roots would burn
and the gardens would never become green.
Winter seems bitter but it is also kind.
When contraction comes, my friend,
behold the expansion within
be cheerful, do not complain.
The eyes of a child are fixed on the wants of now
while the eyes of the wise see to the end.
When you close your mouth
another one will open, seeking nourishment
in the mysteries of Spirit.
The sugar of sensual joy
is the fruit of the garden of sorrow
this joy is the wound, the sorrow is the plaster.
Learn to embrace sorrow
look straight at its face and joy will reappear.
All action sways between contraction and expansion
both as important as the opening and closing
of the wings of a bird in flight.
I’d read this collection before, and so I found my own annotations and underscores. This one touched me deeply:
“All action sways between contraction and expansion, both as important as the opening and closing of the wings of a bird in flight.”
My brain sparkled with connections, synthesizing everything I’ve read, heard, absorbed, and experienced throughout my yoga journey over the last 27 years – breath – movement – and spanda reverberated in my mind: Spanda – the divine vibration – the life force – the song of the sacred tremor of creation – the pulse of existence. Yes – All of THAT.
This made me feel like it’s time I pass some things along: the experiences I know of Tandava and the joys of courageous freedom. And, as Rumi says, “While still in the cage of your being behold the spirit bird before it flies away.”
I hope you’ll join me on the journey with wisdom and compassion as our guides:
(There WILL be a playlist!)
Generous Wisdom | Spacious Heart 