Effortless Grace

What we resist persists. I have discovered this rule of thumbs through my meditation practice. Every time I affirm the things I want as if they are happening now, I always let some fear creep in. Until one day I realized that things I feared the most also came true. I have been steeped in a culture of hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. As I devoted myself to Yoga I figured it was the wrong attitude to attracting abundance. I also realized that the Universe doesn’t make a difference between longing and fear. It captures whatever message you project and boomerangs it back to your lap. So next time you let fear slip into your meditation, remember that every thought is vibration. The moment you broadcast it, you attract it into your life.

We often think pessimistically… My needs are never fully met. The Universe must be turning a deaf ear to the abundance affirmations stuck to my bathroom mirror. How come? The self-help books make it seem so easy. They promise that if I simply hold a strong focus and readiness to receive while stating my affirmations, all requests will fall in my lap. I must be doing something wrong. Is my sense of unworthiness, fear of success or attachment to scarcity jamming up the gates to the Universal slot machine? I feel resentment about the lack of rewards for all my hard work.

In Yoga the word for abundance is “Purnata” or plentitude. It calls for honoring the beauty in diversity that we are all entitled to. It reminds us that abundance is not a material quest, but rather a conquest of the soul. As we attune to the soul’s purpose we magnetize bounty. Experiences of scarcity may be a signal that we aren’t acknowledging and feeding our soul’s needs. We live in lack. Even when our life appears rich, we still feel empty inside. Why? Because we are manifesting an external success that is irrelevant to our soul’s directive. Lack becomes a crucial reminder that we are looking in the wrong direction for true bounty.

Yoga guides us in how to use our imagination to visualize bounty, because failure of imagination makes it very difficult to receive. If we envision crumbs, we get crumbs.

We have to be audacious enough to conceive of a never-ending physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wealth that washes away the worry that our needs won’t be met. Then we have given our imagination permission to stretch and unleash itself through a “fantasy”. To liberate our imagination, we need to banish internal naysaying voices that insist our world is based on restriction, or that we don’t deserve plenty.

The Yogic teaching of “Purnata” or “plentitude” asks us to leave room for mystery and patiently wait for the divine plan to unfold itself before us. Trusting the ineffable, the unexplainable is the true spring of all copiousness. To get into that state we need to release expectations about when we expect abundance to appear. Anticipating immediate gratification that doesn’t happen, may trigger old beliefs about failure and unworthiness.

The concept of Purnata holds that there is a “Cosmic Void,” a “Luminous Emptiness” where everything is possible at any moment in time. We just need to recognize the potential of bounty and the unexplainable gift of amplitude. We do that when we turn the cravings off, when we stop resisting, hoping and expecting. Then we are ready to rejoice in the process of being the empty chalice expecting to be filled.

When we empty out of expectations and projections, we no longer feel inadequate and undeserving. It is hard to perceive plenty when we don’t see ourselves as enough. Or when we are attached to the results of our craving. The solution is not to break the attachment forcefully, but rather to identify the false beliefs underpinning this story? So, how do we allow passion for longing for more without debilitating attachment or greed?

“Purnata” encourages us to release our fear of never having enough, only then can perceive when enough is enough. We finally recognize that we receive what we perceive. We are invited to experience the Garden of Eden in our daily life as we relish the lusciousness of our existence and the ecstasy of receiving.

We register abundance — when feeling open, receptive to the fullness and willing to be happy with what we have even when entertaining fantasies of more. But is this abundance craze simply old-fashioned greed dressed up in New Age clothing?

Are we challenged with the duality of have vs. have-not?

Many of us have tried to learn to accept what we’re given in life. But deep inside there is a disappointed child who hopes for more. That “more” gets buried by our resignation, and we forget what it is that we really want. So we latch onto what we assume should make us happy — more money, more possessions, more love, more space, more land, more adventure — whatever. Then abundance becomes greed.

It all boils down to perception. Failure to receive has forced us to perceive the glass half empty.

“Purnata” reminds us that rather than struggling to have abundance, we are learning to behold the experience of prosperity. As we unload the illusion of lack we embrace true affluence of being. You realize that there is actually so MUCH that you need to relish every bite.

Gratitude allows us to appreciate the completeness in every moment. We give thanks for the gifts overflowing our life and trust the Divine Plan at play. We learn that current life situations are gifts and tremendous opportunities for learning and we remember to count every blessing.

When we relinquish obsolete forms of scarcity based on unworthiness we move into the next level of authenticity and creativity. We bask in the wealth of our current conditions, yearning for more opportunities for creative initiative. We are ushered in a space of inner peace and receptivity. This is the place of Purnata when things flow abundantly and effortlessly. This is the state of Effortless Grace. It is a perceptual shift. Abundance is contagious – it naturally draws more abundance.

Ultimately, abundance requires a perceptual shift. Gratitude changes perception.

Allow this understanding of “Purnata” to be your perceptual filter of wealth. If you have clear intentions about what you want to attract and not preoccupy yourself with the “how” and “when”, but feel overflowing gratitude for what you already have, you will draw everything you possibly wish for you’re your life. Savor the wonder of each moment, and trust that this inner contentment will be the magnet that draws the right things at the right time and place. Drink plenty and be ready to receive. Do not resist things from happening. Stay in a state of allowing. Abide in “effortless grace”…Is your glass half full or half empty? The Universe is waiting to build something great upon you. Are you ready?

Gentle Yoga Routine: Effortless Grace (open level)

This accessible and fun Yogea routine feels like a Yogic spa. It is designed for people of all ages and physical conditions as it offers gentle and safe ways to stretch and tone physically, while bolstering the glands, quieting the mind and energizing the whole body. The slow and deep poses help you link breath and movement, while nurturing the joints, muscles and connective tissue. The massage-like fashion of rocking from one pose into the next helps relieves stress, increases flexibility, calms the mind, and strengthens the muscles. The gentle rotations and twists in all joint areas exert a soothing effect while enhancing the range of motion. The ingenious blend of seated twists, supine hip openers and reclining forward bends revs up your digestion, while the slow and rhythmic pace is soothing and relaxing to the nervous system. Done regularly this form of dynamic rocking helps you balance your sleep patterns and find inner peace. So you can perform all your duties from a place of “effortless grace”.

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