Posts tagged kindness
All we need to know is we appear as many to remind us we are one. So kindness and gratitude must be our guiding principles; kindness towards others because they are us, and gratitude for others because they remind us of all we need to know.
Joel Benjamin
(via nirvikalpa)
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
This is exactly what I was thinking and wanted to share today.
Thanks, sundaybliss & exerciseisajourney!
Standing Strong
The first pose often learned in yoga is Tadasana, Mountain Pose. Yeah, it’s just standing straight and tall, but there are a lot of minute details that go into play throughout the body to create the strength and steadfastness of a Mountain. What you get is a perfect balance between the front body, which symbolizes the ego, and the back body, symbolized by the universal. Students are often told to find the same elements of Tadasana in all other poses.
I am reminded of Tadasana as I am challenged to stand strong in my interactions with others. Standing strong is not about aggression or defensiveness, characteristics often associated with a “strong” personality. In my mind, standing strong combines elements of confidence, kindness, and a steadfastness of character in all types of moments and interactions. Like Tadasana, standing strong creates a unified balance between the egoic self and the universal spirit that lives in everything. And the constant challenge is to access those qualities of strength in all moments and interactions, similar to how we look for Tadasana in all forms of poses.
It takes consistent effort for me to harness and express this strength I’m trying to describe. Some days I’m much more successful than others. However, when all is aligned and I am able to fully access confidence, kindness and character, there’s an amazing clarity I receive, which I believe comes from connecting to the universal spirit. It’s this connection that inspires me to stand strong.
