Tuesday, May 8, 2012
My friend, who'll I just call girlfriend for this article, and I were out for a walk the other night. We stopped at one point to admire the buds that were just opening on a tree and we commented on how lush and beautiful they were. As we walked away from the tree, girlfriend turned to me and said
"That reminds me of when my dad died. John Beachli brought over a bouquet of pussywillows that were just opening and they were so beautiful. It was such a kind thing to do and I always remember it." The next morning I was
sitting in Heritage Café when in comes John Beachli for his morning coffee. I hadn't seen him in a year or so. We started chit chatting and I told him that his ears must have been burning the night before. I then went on to
tell him the lovely story and how touched my girlfriend was by this beautiful gesture. John had a big smile on his face and told me this story. His father had a tradition that anytime anyone from the family stopped by his house (his dad lived in Norland), he would go out to the garden and
cut them a flower and give to them to wish them safe travels. John said it was a small ritual that made such a big difference to lives of everyone that got those flowers. I love this story because it reminds me that is the little things in life that make such a such a big difference. In my yoga
class this week I've been teaching about the heart chakra. In the yogic map of the body, chakras are energy vortexs that run along the spine and the yogi's work keep them strong and healthy so that energy can move into them
and out from them. Every chakra has a physical job (ie. healthy digestive organs) and an emotional job (feeling strong and grounded, or being creative
etc.) I was once asked the question by a teacher "what are you broadcasting to the world from your chakras?" The heart chakra is physically about having a healthy heart and lungs and good breathing (we know how important
that is). Emotionally it is about how we give and receive love. The yogi's talk about love as the underlying force or matrix that joins us all together on this planet. They say that love is what integrates the mind and the body and is what will save the planet. This teacher I was working with
had us imagining (while we doing a standing posture) that we went into the heart of someone who was having a hard time and imagining ourselves lifting their heart up. It is an energetic practice that can have a profound impact. The story about John and his flowers reminds me that there are so many ways to reach into someone's heart and lift it up. So many little ways that broadcast a big message.