The headlines and internet these days are heartbreaking. Refugees, racial violence, corporate corruption, poverty, degradation of the natural world. Many have reacted to recent events with fear, disguised as anger and rage. Even so many people I know who have directed their lives towards compassionate action seem to feel despair and have weary hearts.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama said last week that we can’t just pray these problems away – we humans created these problems, so its up to us to solve them. But I do believe that our yoga practice has a place as part, though not the whole, of the solution. After all, peace begins at home. The first step to creating peace in our homes, communities, countries and world is cultivating more peace within our own hearts and minds.
Right now feels like a perfect moment for the Tibetan Heart Yoga practice. This unique series, from the lineage of the Dalai Lamas, merges our physical yoga asana with mindfulness and compassion to unlock our heart chakras, releasing the energetic knots there, dispelling feelings of separation and increasing our warm-heartedness. Using meditation, mantra, breath and asana, we’ll practice sending a loved one everything they need for true happiness – in turn, planting seeds for our own.
I’m happy to be offering Tibetan Heart Yoga this Sun Nov 29 at Ankh Yoga on the Danforth, from 1:30-3:30pm.
The workshop will also include an introduction to your subtle energetic body and its function that you can apply to any yoga you do. You’ll find familiar yoga poses in this series, as well as some unique to the Tibetan tradition. This is a compact practice that can be done in under 40 minutes – perfect for anyone looking for a simple, effective home practice. Suitable for all levels.
With a very specific mental application while moving through the poses, we can direct this practice to an individual or whole groups of beings. Who will you do your practice for?…
they set my aunts house on fire
i cried the way women on tv do
folding at the middle
like a five pound note.
i called the boy who used to love me
tried to ‘okay’ my voice
i said hello
he said warsan, what’s wrong, what’s happened?
i’ve been praying,
and these are what my prayers look like;
dear god
i come from two countries
one is thirsty
the other is on fire
both need water.
later that night
i held an atlas in my lap
ran my fingers across the whole world
and whispered
where does it hurt?
it answered
everywhere
everywhere”
~ Warsan Shire
Tibetan Heart Yoga Workshop
Sun Nov 29 from 1:30-3:30pm
Ankh Yoga – 2017 Danforth Ave (at Woodbine)
$35.00+hst. Please note – pre-registration is required for this workshop. Sign up here.
Rhondda Smiley - yoga, meditation & Dharma 