My heart has been heavy over the weekend. This morning during my morning practice of pranayama and meditation, a small glow was lit in my center, an emotion of hope sprang from nowhere. This emotion turned into a thought that instantly translated into action – this article.
That is the power of yoga, the power of meditation, the power of going inside … the light comes on, the fog dissipates, life starts expressing itself.
My heart was heavy all weekend because of the devastating fires in Australia. All this beautiful millennial vegetation that is going up in smoke, all these animals that die charred and trapped in the flames, species that are killed out forever, all these human beings who lose everything, except for their lives… for now… And what will happen in the coming summer?
I thought back to what Sadhguru teaches us about responsibility. I find it so inspiring and would like to share it. When I search for synonyms of responsibility on Google I find: charge, duty, obligation, guilt, fact, fault, etc.
Etymologically, the word responsibility is a derivative of the Latin verb respondere which means “to vouch, to answer for”. I hope that you understand that it is not a question of responsibility in the ethical sense of “being guilty”, but of our capacity to answer to something.
Sadhguru invites us to initiate individual responsibility. And not only to respond to what we already feel responsible for, but also to do so for that which is beyond our scope. He invites us to realize that the simple occasion of feeling compassion is already an answer and that we have the possibility of responding to everything that surrounds us, near or far.
How then can I respond to this horror which affects not only Australia, but us all, deep down in our being?
I can, of course, continue to make better consumer choices. I can protest against the politicians, against the multinationals, against the banks, against this system that we all feed every day by our actions, our choices. What good is it, however, to stress myself about it and sow more negative energy in this world?
Let’s talk about stress. Our modern lives were already very stressful even before these infamous natural disasters, which are getting closer and closer in time and are becoming more and more violent.
Those are terrible images that weigh down on conversations with our loved ones, our children and ourselves. This silent guilt, this deep fear, this feeling of helplessness because of what is happening today. And what about tomorrow?
More than ever now, whether we are young or old, we need to go inside, reduce our conscious and subconscious stress. We need to go to our centeres, where the inner peace, true identity and our self is.
Deep within we find love, sweetness, comfort. In its center we find strength, courage but above all we find altruism. This very ability that allows us to take an interest in and devote oneself to others, this ability to think in plurals and no longer in singular. Doesn’t the world need more selflessness?
This weekend, I was wondering as to how I can continue to promote my little wellness workshops when a part of the earth is going up in smoke.
And then, this morning, a little glow was lit in my center – an emotion of hope sprang up and was transformed into a thought that whispered: “Your answer is to offer young and old moments of peace, moments of sweetness, moments to get closer to their self, get closer to the living. ”
I can’t stop the fires in Australia, but I can help people manage their stress and emotions. I am happy to be able to respond to life in this way. I’m just a needle in a haystack, but I’m happy to be the needle that I am.
With love.
