G R A C E
What does that word conjure in your mind? It has so many different connotations.
Divine grace, graceful, gracious, saving grace, grace period, the grace of God.
The word I’ve used in my first sentence perhaps gives a clue to how I understand it: Something quite magical.
Watching a graceful ballet dancer as she moves with such beautiful lightness, gliding through the air as if by magic, such beauty and grace in her movements. What we don’t see is the time she has devoted to her craft creating a perfect balance of strength and flexibility that are expressed in the graceful, magic of her movements.
Perhaps the same could be said to watch birds, particularly swans. When you’re up close to a swan you realise how big they are, yet they appear so graceful with their long sleek necks and their pure white feathers. How they appear to serenely glide through the water despite the strong legs working powerfully beneath the surface. The trust they have as they take flight from the water and soar into the sky, making their fight look effortless despite the weight of their bodies and the seemingly unbalanced distribution of their weight.
Graceful movement requires devotion, trust and the perfect balance of strength and flexibility, something we can certainly explore within our physical practice of yoga asana.
Other connotations of the word are; saying grace before a meal or a grace period granted beyond a deadline. These are both examples of something performed or given that aren’t necessary to the process but are gratefully received. In music grace notes are used primarily for decorative purposes, because of this, they are considered non-essential and omitting them does not affect the structural integrity of a musical composition.
Grace notes are sonic embellishments that add a bit of sparkle to a melody. A few well-placed grace notes can be the difference between a humdrum tune and one that’s truly remarkable. - Graham Tippett
For me exploring grace is to explore devotion, trust, strength, flexibility, gratitude and a little bit of the magical unknown.
In order to explore these concepts we require a sense of humility and non attachment.
Right now, you have made your thought, emotion and body far more important than yourself. In this upside-down condition, you cannot feel grace. If you reverse this condition within yourself, suddenly ordinary becomes extraordinary. - Sadhguru
More and more I find spending time mindfully in nature gives me the greatest sense of understanding myself and my sense of purpose. As I step into that place of connection with the natural world I realise the vast wisdom that, as humans, we can’t possibly ever fully grasp or understand. I step into a sense of awe and wonder, moving into a state of humility. At this point my ego, my sense of ‘I’, dissolves a little (non attachment) leaving me open to the wisdom of the greater whole, becoming a receptacle or a doorway to grace. As I step back into the rest of my day, whether that is engaging with my family, working, teaching or stepping onto my mat for a personal practice, I can bring grace with me. Adding some sparkle and embellishment to my experiences, turning my relationships, my work, my practice from something humdrum into something truly remarkable.
As a seasonal practice, Autumn is a grace period, a time of transition where we can pause, to reflect, to celebrate and to plan. Harvest time is a celebration, not of personal achievements but of a connection with the greater whole and with gratitude for the abundance we receive. A sense of humility that the crops are at the mercy of Mother Nature but also that we must do the work required without attachment to the outcome. Non attachment also allows us to see what in our lives we must let go of in order to move on. Like the trees gracefully releasing their leaves in order to preserve their energy through the Winter to renew again in Spring.
To have a solid logical base and still be open to grace is something that one has to do. The mystical and the logical – both realms are equally important. If your logical realm is well established, the mundane aspect of your life is well conducted. If the mystical dimension of your life is open to you, your experience of life is also fantastic. Otherwise, if you just handle the logical, arrangements will be fine but your experience will not be good. If you ignore the logical, your experience may be great but your arrangements will be horrible. - Sadhguru
So this is an invitation to be humble and allow our egos to dissolve a little. To bring some devotion to whatever we are doing. Realising our small part in the greater whole, but also that great whole being part of us. That inspires in me a sense of love and devotion, a sense of something magical and remarkable.
If everything was infused with this, our every thought word and action would be as light and graceful as the ballet dancer or swan.
On the Mat this term:
We will explore grace in a number of different ways on the mat this term:
Finding grace-periods within both our physical and breathing practices to pause.
Experiencing a deeper sense of balance between strength and flexibility to give our physical movements more grace.
Diving into some of the Yamas and Niyamas of Patanjali's yoga Sutras to explore grace through humility, non attachment, trust and gratitude.
Exploring some of the ancient Hindu myths associated with swans through mantra.
I look forward to exploring grace with you on the mat this term and hope it becomes an invitation for you to explore grace off your mat in your own unique way.
Om shanti
🙏
Sophia
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