Generosity

From the September Newsletter

I was recently having a conversation with my friend about generosity. He is in a tight financial situation and both of his parents have given him loans. The amounts of the loans are quite close in number but his mother, who is married to someone who is quite well-off financially, has given him a time frame in which to pay off the loan. His father, on the other hand, is single and lives on a small monthly pension. He gave my friend the loan and told him it was a gift, no need to repay. My friend said to me, "don't get me wrong, I am really grateful to both of them for their help, and I think they are being really generous, I just find it interesting that my mother, who has so much, has an expectation of quick repayment and my father, who has substantially less, gave me the money freely with no expectation of repayment." We pondered this juxtaposition and wondered about the state of mind one must cultivate in order to give; freely and generously. What is the quality one must possess to feel the abundance of life rather than the scarcity?

We were having this conversation in the car on the way to see Michael Franti at Red Butte Garden Amphitheater. While watching Michael Franti play, I couldn't help but notice his generosity. He probably spent more time in the audience than on the stage and I was amazed to see how he allowed people to touch him; and it wasn't just that he allowed it. It almost seemed like he knew how important it was for him to give people the permission to touch him; to experience his warmth and love. It was so stunning and poignant to me how
generous he was with himself, letting people touch this "rockstar" for whatever reasons they had for wanting to touch him. And then I noticed he was barefoot. He was running all around stage and all around the audience with no shoes or socks on. I thought about the times I am most often barefoot and of course, practicing yoga asanas is one of those times. I wondered if there could be a link.

You've likely noticed the weather changing lately. These past few weeks of hot days and cool nights have sent the plants in my garden into high production mode. All of these crops,
creating fruits and vegetables while they stay rooted in the ground, sinking themselves deep into the earth. Creating abundance while being still and barefoot in their own way. Noticing this, the connections started to materialize for me. It's not uncommon that I'll show up for yoga class and my monkey mind will be juggling all the different "problems" and "stressors" in my life. My judgment of myself is up and I feel stingy, annoyed by little things that seem so big. And then I stand on my mat, and practice the asanas. My mind begins to calm, I am present, and still. My judgment begins to slip away and I feel more generous, with others, but first and foremost with myself. In the present moment, I experience clarity, see the abundance of life and am able to let go of the fear of scarcity. By standing still, I'm able to feel grounded and connect to this vast and amazing planet that gives immeasurable things so freely.

Practicing the quality of presence may not be the only way to battle the thoughts of scarcity, but I wonder if the plants and Michael Franti are on to something. So grab your mat, get
barefoot, and come join us for class. You may find that while practicing presence you are able to tap into your own generosity.
-e

 

Feeling generous? The studio would love your donations of plastic grocery bags and hair bands (read: reduce, reuse, recycle). Feel free to drop them off at the front desk next time you come in to practice.