"I see you and I love you."
Erich Schiffmann says phrase above in his lessons. From the first time I heard him talk about this, I was interested. He instructs to start with something you absolutely love - like a family member or a pet. Say it over and over again - to yourself or out loud. Say it like you mean it and when you practice it on someone or something you love, then it gets traction. When you get good on this comfortable level, you take it out wider - like the rings of Metta - friends, acquaintances and then those who challenge you. Don't go to the top of 'those who challenge you,' start with someone who cut you off in traffic. Work your way out from there. Eventually, we can expand to any and all beings - including ourselves. In a Lovingkindness practice, we start with ourselves, but that is challenging. We need traction and a compassion warm up to get into ourselves these days.
The point is to open ourselves to love and what love means. Love is packed with compassion and gratitude. Can we see those we love with compassion and gratitude? Probably and pretty easily. Can we see our friends and acquaintances with compassion and gratitude? Can we see those who challenge us with compassion and gratitude? WHAT? They piss me off! Why should I? The real question is 'Why shouldn't I?'
If you subscribe to interconnection of all beings and nature, why would we separate out some from compassion and gratitude?
I remember way back in the 80s, Linda Evans (of Dynasty fame) said that everyone we see and are irritated by are simply reflections of ourselves. That made me think about what I was seeing that was ticking me off. What about me do I recognize here? Can I have compassion for myself with this? Can I be grateful for this glimpse of myself? Can I befriend myself and move out of this suffering?
Can we recognize attachments, aversions and ignorance as the causes of our suffering and the suffering of others and apply compassion and gratitude? How does this leave us feeling once we do?
I know this seems pretty deep. It is. And I bring this up because February is that month we talk about LOVE and celebrate it on Valentine's Day. I bring it up to see if we can see ourselves and write notes of love and compassion to ourselves. I bring it up because the world, if it's a reflection of what's inside of us, is confused and needs compassion. I bring it up because it starts with each of us. Our yoga mats are a place where we start to see ourselves reflected in how we respond to putting ourselves in poses and transitions that challenge us, that sooth us and support bringing us back to being aligned in our bodies, energy and emotional well being.
I've highlighted some things I think will be helpful to you in pursuit of Love, Compassion and Gratitude this month. I hope they will help you practice Erich's mantra, "I see you and I love you."
Just a couple of notes for housekeeping...
Schedule notes: I am studying with my teacher, Cyndi Lee, to become an OM Yoga Certified Teacher. I will be in a week long intensive later in February and will have to cancel a few day classes that week to accommodate the workshop intensive schedule. I will update the live stream booking calendar with those dates. I apologize for the inconvenience. I encourage you to book a similar on demand class on those days so you don't lose your momentum in your practice.
I am offering some serious bling for the February Challenge - Attend Live Stream Classes. Please see below for the details. I am encouraging attendance in live stream classes because it is a great way to build accountability to yourself and your practice AND it is a great way to connect with others. It can be pretty lonely out here. Also, I want to make sure you are engaged in classes as I have had to institute a new rule - if classes are not well attended, they will come off the schedule. There is now a minimum attendance requirement for classes. If there are not 2 or more people booked into a live stream class, an hour before the class starts, I will cancel the class. If this occurs more than 3 times in 6 weeks, the class will be removed from the schedule and will no longer be recorded for On Demand. I want to focus my energy where there is interest.
As we approach the 1 year anniversary of the pivot to online classes, I would love to hear your home practice stories. Please tell me how it's going and what you have learned about practicing at home. Drop me a line at MBFYoga108@gmail.com. I would love to share stories in the newsletter next month. It is not easy to roll out your mat and do your practice. I am so proud of you all for doing this for yourselves.
Wishing you peace and love. My deepest gratitude for our practice together,
Andrea
Andrea Dyer
mind|body|fitness yoga
www.mindbodyfitnessyoga.com
Over 275 classes on demand | 10 live classes weekly on Zoom