Glad Tidings
Another year rolls around and so does a fresh dozen of New Year’s resolutions. I used to promise myself I’d get up before sunrise for hatha yoga, sit for meditation more regularly, lose weight, eat more leafy greens and affirm positively every day. By the time the New Year’s celebration was over, though, I usually had gained weight, indulged into everything but leafy greens, hadn’t spared a minute for meditation – my attitude to life was shaky. I gave up making resolutions: constant failure had left me completely discouraged. Instead, I now liberate my intentions freely, without caging them to a particular “want” or “should.” As soon as there were no promises to be kept, things turned simpler and the inner resolve to alter the course of my life became more apparent. The resolutions I would force into my monthly agenda had now become an integral part of an inner spiritual hygiene. I naturally started getting up early in the morning for “sadhana,” my diet agreed with the seasons, my positive mindset transpired into a daily self-care routine. The former “vows” had morphed into a continuous stream of conscious actions that benefited me and the planet at large.
In Sanskrit these mindful affirmations, called “Vrata” are practiced in a spirit of devotion. I remember when visiting India I would see crowds of young men who rose at dawn to prostrate before the Ganges river and greet the rising Sun. Old sadhus, wandering monks, practicing “japa”, as they recited their mantras over and over again, the beads of their “malas” slipping endlessly through their bony fingers; Buddhist monks rolling the prayer wheels as they blew their horns to announce a festival. Women tossing pudja – offerings of fruit and dough balls into a ritual fire to appease the deities and bring glad tidings; the enchanting melody and scents swirling form the anklets worn by temple dancers. Every act was a gesture of reverence to the divine and an appreciation of our divine nature. And that gratitude and veneration was at the heart of every true resolution.
A “vrata” is a sacred vow to engage in some sort of self-discipline, a charitable or devotional act in order to achieve a specific goal. As you immerse yourself in the act of doing, slowly the goal becomes every breath and you no longer aspire to anything distant or vague. Your self-growth becomes your top priority. It naturally sums up all the promises that you make to yourself. This process cannot be framed in time or pinned to your agenda. It is an ongoing dialogue with your heart. When you put your inner resolve into a clear perspective you no longer need to anticipate its fruition, you simply release a healthy intention that is congruent with your inner state of body and mind. The rest is action or “karma”. According to the Vedic tradition there are 5 types of “vratas” or openings: to clear away bad karma; to create good karma; to benefit others; to develop a desirable quality of your personality, and to accelerate your own spiritual goal. To paraphrase it into our urban verbiage it would mean: to clear away negativity of mind or actions; to generate positive flow; to practice altruism and offer unconditional help, to work on your personal traits and eliminate bad tendencies and habits, and most importantly to pave your path to a wholesome unfolding of your creative spirit.
As the New Year’s festivities approach I take a moment to retrospect into the past year without harboring any attachment, resentment or regret – without recapitulating what I had or hadn’t achieved. I relish this time of sifting all the beautiful moments, encounters, insights, together with all the trying times of illness, confusion or loss to discover that they were equally gratifying and nourishing to my soul. I honor moments of joy and doubt, of fervor and grief and give thanks for every circumstance and situation, every person, every opportunity to learn and grow. I make time for a creative visualization and plant my pure intentions, paving my way to more clarity and aligning these “goal-less seeds” with my inner purpose. Releasing the attachment to the desire I allow myself to be flexible in pursuing my visions, opening space for guidance and heeding the call of divine timing. Having launched my personal rocket in space, I dedicate the next to all people on Earth as I extend a prayer for peace, well-being and freedom on this planet and beyond the Earthly dimension. It feels so right, so true, so holy, so whole.
Instead of burying unfulfilled promises in your heart, take a moment to release the pressure of success, and clear your life from pending resolutions. Vow to be true to the heart day by day, as you reap the rewards of “Glad Tidings” for yourself and the Universe. Every day is a New Year, a new beginning, a commencement, a new arching of your wings.
Yogea Clearing Breathing and Meditation: Glad Tidings
This inspirational Yogea breathing and meditation will give you an opportunity to start anew, to clear your life from pending tasks, and to pave your way to meaningful actions that benefit the world at large. Bridging the personal with the global, the planetary with the Universal you will experience yourself as a vessel that channels abundance and flow. Powered by the element of water and bathing your life in oceanic freshness, this practice will help you get rid of impositions, old clichés, obsolete belief patterns and unwanted fears and clear the way to fulfillment and joy.
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