Friday, February 15, 2013

Reverence of Valentines Day

I think Valentines is often looked at a day to celebrate the love one has in a romantic relationship, leaving single people to hate the day while partners exchange pricey gifts to show their love. I like to think of valentines day as an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the many relationships I am in. With my husband, but also with my students, teachers, friends, strangers, earth, electronics, pecs, family. We are constantly in relationships and valentines is a great day to really notice that.

When I am on my mat on valentines day the main relationship that I notice is the one I am in with myself, with my body/mind/spirit. I get to observe how the actions I take with yoga through asana/meditation/pranayama.... effect the relationship I have with myself. On this day I am filled with reverence for myself.



Many people have alters or shrines beautifully decorated to show their love and respect for something like a Deity. Yogis have their body, the saying "your body is your temple" captures this nicely. When I am on my mat I try to practice the way of offering respect. How can I make my breath an offering, my bones and muscles offerings? I love so deeply the practice of Anusara Yoga for this because going through the universal principles of alignment and refining my pose to one that is most optimal and therapeutic feels to me like the sweetest bow of respect to the sweet spirit within me.

Definition (from dictionary.com) of reverence (noun):

  1. Feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe, veneration.
  2. The outward manifestation of the feeling: to pay reverence.
  3. A gesture indicative of deep respect; bow, or curtsy.
  4. The state of being revered.

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