body mala

The new year began with grand yogic interludes. My studio hosted a yoga mala, a two-hour offering of our bodies to intentions higher than the extension of our arms, wider than the stance of our legs. Like a japa mala that has 108 beads in succession, as a community we moved engaged in 108 successive sun salutation. As the mood ripened for a physically challenging feat, we sat together as a family and put to written motion our sankalpa, a spiritual vow made in relation to days of old, present and of the future as to recognize and register a regularity in reflection and resolution. I had been saturating my brainwaves for sometime on my natural, and saddened, inclination to fear people. A molten inside because of a transfixed belief that I had great reason to fear the individuals around me, this was the spiritual confusion I splattered about my sankalpa.

We took to our mats. The 108 sun salutations were divided into four sections, 27 a piece. Each round of the surya namaskar was dedicated to a different facet of our existence, an opportunity to focus physical movements and mental sways on a single purpose. This was my second mala and although I relished in my inaugural one, I felt such a deep connection to this new year mala. I cannot imagine a better way to ignite another series of days, weeks and months.

Round one was an exploration inward, concentrating on the words and essence of our sankalpa. I sensed a bit discomfort rising from me in these early sun salutations. If it was the dust being swept off my morning joints or the apparent probing into an area of personal incommodiousness, I am not entirely sure of it's origin. There was the typical trail of justification in my mind of why I am the way I am, with the similar stagnation of ideas to move on. I know I want to be able to incorporate my shortcomings for the betterment of usable spiritual real estate, yet I lack the ingenuity to make space. So I was thankful for the encouraging words spoken throughout the mala, along with the unspoken vibes of the other bodies in motion around me. It made round one a good opener, as I felt my muscles given way to the fluidity of the moment.

Round two was a dedication to the positive people in our lives. My spirit sprang from my body as I settled into a vibrant groove. With each sun salutation, I lifted up a beautiful person in my life. The movements of my arms and legs were tools of gratitude. I had little trouble releasing into the air about me the innumerable admirable characteristics of my family and friends. One after another, a new face would rush in and I felt flushed with giddiness. These individuals were in my life? How did I get so lucky? I closed each surya namaskara by touching my lips to my hands and repeating, "for the one who changes me". I felt absolutely alive at the end of round two.

Round three was an offering to all beings in the world, with close attention to those figures in your life you struggle sending out good vibes to. For me, this round tasted bittersweet. I found enormous solace relinquishing some situations that bound me to my own downfall. Yet at the same time, I was confronted with a counterproductive force in my contemplation. I wanted desperately to transfer the deep caulking of negative energy into something positively opportunistic. My mind toggled back and forth between global issues of severity and unfortunate scenarios I specifically underwent in 2007. As I would come into urdhva hastasana each time, I would symbolically release the situation and welcome something new. The round ended in a different sense and I felt both cleansed and conflicted, a dichotomy I am not afraid to embrace.

The final 27 sun salutations were intended for our personal interpretation of the Divine, a perfect way to conclude a radical spiritual endeavor. Similar to the round dedicated to the positive beings in our existence, I found my bones piercing with ebullience from skin. Each offering of surya namaskara was a set aflame by the many attributes of God in my life and the world. Beginning in tadasana, I singled out one attribute of God. In the initial Urdhva Hastasana I opened up with a resounding force of gratitude. This was followed with uttanasana, as I envisioned myself diving into the truth of the specific attribute. Figuratively pulling back for a brief moment of reflection, I came into a position where I flattened my back. This proceeded Adho Mukha Svanasana, downward facing dog. As I transitioned into downward dog, I placed my hands firmly on the ground, rooting deeply into the characteristic of God I was honoring. I stretched out lengthwise doubly as I pulled my body into chaturanga, growing in the attribute. Cobra pose allowed my heart to recognize the attribute as I passed it onto my intellect, placing my forward lightly on the ground before pulling back into plank. In the second offering of downward dog, I breathed in deeply the characteristic , waiting for it to fill my completely. I rose to my feet and began the final ascent into Urdhva Hastasana, releasing the trait to the souls around me with a concluding stance back in tadasana, sealing in the ultimate impression of my Ultimate Expression of the Divine.

I was surrounded by the divine that morning. I am surrounding by the divine everyday. There was nothing but insufficient gratitude in my heart and I am excited to have start a new year with such a countenance. Namaste.