Heart Moved

Awake my dear
Be kind to your sleeping heart.

Take it out into the vast fields of light
and let it breathe.

Shams-ud-din Muhammad Hafiz

I just spent the last week with Shiva Rea at Esalen which is near Big Sur, CA, which I think has to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet. The workshop was on Living Tantra with a big emphasis on allowing ourselves to live deeply from the heart and to be "heart moved".

Most of the class time was spent on setting deep intention for the asana. Most days the three hour time slot allocated for asana had just about an hour for asana with the rest on intention setting, ritual, and dance. Shiva wanted to create space to liberate the "diving in" to asana and to set a fertile ground for there to be greater potency for the asana's to bloom open from our heart's expansive energy.

I am one who usually loves the three hour asana only workshops as it really allows time and space to explore the more complicated and exotic asanas. There is nothing wrong about that at all. Shiva connected to another side of me this week that was ready for something different because all the classes were really simple and rather than spending tons of time building sequences towards complicated poses--most of the time was spent deepening the easier asanas, repetition of asana, and then infusing every movement with deep intentionality with spoken words, chanting, breath work, and inner yoga.

It was different than anything I have done with her in the past and different than most yoga workshops. I have to say I really like it for where I am right now. I think the workshop in which we just spend time on asana is great. I think building up to and working on creative asanas is a great way to give the expansive energy in us an opportunity to create and grow. I also think that evolution of asana is deeply connected to the unfolding of our spirit and heart into more vibrant and powerful expressions. I also think that sometimes we need to nurture our soil so to speak so that the seeds of asana can grow fully into a bountiful harvest.

Being heart moved to me means allowing yourself time to tend to the hearts flame. To be inspired and excited about life and the opportunity this body and world have to offer and what we have to offer it. To live life passionately is the greatest gift we can give to the source that gave us life.

Feel into your practice and notice if you feel inspired. Notice if the movements are passionate and exciting. Is there just focus on the form without filling the form with an inner expression from the heart. Is there a cynicism as you read this about "living from your heart"? What kind of ritual or action could re nourish your soil? What could make your practice sweeter and more nurturing? What could allow you to feel heart moved in your life and practice?

"The time has come to turn your heart into a temple of fire." — Rumi