Gift 28: Dedication August 30, 2010

I had the opportunity to offer 2 gifts today. I decided that since today was Jeff’s first day back at nursing school that I’d prepare a special dinner to celebrate. I made my famous brussels sprouts with a fancy vegan chicken cordon bleu made with Gardein Chicken Cutlets. For dessert we had chai tea popsicles made with spicy yogi tea, almond milk, and agave. It was quite a bit of work to pull it all together, but I know that Jeff appreciated the special celebratory meal. I definitely avoid cooking during summer months, but I made a special exception in this case! It may be the last time we get to eat together for 8 months while his school schedule keeps him busy for the final year of his program.

My other gift today came while I was practicing yoga on my deck this afternoon. It was a really beautiful day here in central Jersey and I unrolled my mat in a shady spot below this huge oak tree in our backyard. It was so much fun to do tree pose and watch the tree in front of me sway in the breeze. I even spied a couple of squirrels and a cardinal tucked into the tree’s branches! I imagined what it would have been like if they’d mistaken me for a “real” tree and decided to climb on my limbs…it probably would have ended poorly. I had a vigorous practice and was able to do 2 things that I’d never been able to do before:

1: I was able to bring my head all the way to the floor in a wide-leg forward fold. This may not sound like a big deal, but for someone with notoriously tight hamstrings, it was a revelation!

2: For some reason when attempting Eka Pada Koundinyasana today (as I have many times before without success) the pose came extremely easily. I was able to perform the arm balance on both sides. It was one of those “Aha!” moments when my body finally realized exactly what it needed to do in order to get into the posture.

I was so overjoyed by my surprise progress on two of the poses that have been tougher for me in my practice that I decided to take a longer savasana (relaxation) than usual. As I lay on my back preparing for relaxation I decided to dedicate my practice to a more peaceful, happy world. I started to think about the people in my immediate circle to send them “good vibes” including my family and close friends. Then I started to imagine extending that circle to include my neighbors, coworkers, fellow teachers, massage clients, yoga students, old far-flung friends, people I’ve met through the 29 Gifts movement or the NJ Namaste News project, etc. As each person came into my consciousness I held them for a moment in my heart, imagining sending them a feeling of light, peace, and love. The process made me feel so relaxed, so buoyant, and so loved, because as I began to realize how many connections I had. It truly made me feel part of something greater than myself – a larger human community. As I received this realization, I sent love and light to all beings everywhere: happy folks, people suffering or dying, people celebrating birthdays or mourning a loss, people with plenty and those who have little. At some point we’ll all experience these heights and depths of human existence, which is what makes us all one! I followed the exercise with one of the most satisfying savasana poses I can ever remember experiencing!

I’ve got one more day of giving left on this cycle. I’ve already decided that I’m going to continue giving in some way after Day 29. Any suggestions for how to keep the giving going?

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