Dear Yogis and Friends,

I’ve spent the past few months immersed in the exploration of communication.  Or you might say non-communication.  I haven’t posted to Facebook, I haven’t made many phone calls, or written letters  and I certainly haven’t written any new entries in my blog. But you probably noticed that.  The important question is why.

Well, the truth is, I’ve been digging into my interior landscape.  Questioning what is indeed important to say and what is merely filler.  The reality is that I’ve become stuck in this space, looking for the authenticity and necessity of articulation.  Simply put, I’ve been trying to decide what is worth sharing and why.

When one sits down to meditate, the real work is not to shut down the thoughts but rather to become of aware of the thoughts and to notice them, as well as the  moments of stillness between thoughts.  The same is true for emotions.  We don’t try to shut down the emotions, but rather to honor them and to see them for what they are.  We also do this with sensations e.g. my knee itches – does it really itch?  Do I need to scratch it?  Is this simply my mind search for stimulation? Wait, what’s that feeling in my back? my neck?, etc. And so we sit and breathe and observe.

And I guess in a sense this is what I have been doing with my blog; observing the thoughts I could put down in print and deciding which if any of them would be worth sharing.  Throughout my days, I frequently find myself mentally drafting entries to this blog.  Instead of quickly typing up those thoughts and hitting the send button, I pause and observe the possibilities.  Here is a sample of some of those entries:

• Don’t forget to mention the upcoming Soundbaths at River Tree Yoga (March 16 and April 18th) – the power of sound vibrations to bring about healing.  Everything is energy and energy moves in waves and sound waves moves through our bodies and energy is released.  Super cool if you ask me.
• Yoga is like parenting – No matter how many books you read or classes you take, it still comes back to being present in the moment, and dang that is hard.  In fact it is so hard, you frequently find yourself on the one hand tired, angry, sad and frustrated, only to find that in the next moment you are inspired, elated and filled with joy.  How is it that one can run the gamut of these emotions in such a short period of time?
• Yoga Behind Bars – I have begun teaching yoga to inmates in a local prison. This has been one of the most inspiring teaching experiences of my life.  Why?  Because it reaffirms my belief in the nourishing and healing power of yoga to create peace within, as well as providing me the opportunity to yet again recognize the  seed of goodness in every person.
• Facebook – I like catching glimpses of my distant friends and family.  So many folks are doing so many wonderful projects and traveling to such interesting places.  Thanks for inspiring me. But I also wonder how people can spend so much time posting and reposting their every thought and action.
• Yoga – Why are people in such a hurry to do so many poses in their practice?  Why has yoga become obsessed with speed and power?  Is music a distraction to our practice?
• Yoga – Has yoga become an escape for the privileged white woman? What’s wrong with that?  How can we make yoga more accessible?  To more people? Across a broader spectrum of society?
• Yoga – How do I best describe what I teach?  How can I reach out to more people?  How can I continue to deepen my own studies.  Am I pushing my students too hard?  Or too little? How do I share the wisdom I have gleaned through reading ancient texts and modern writers without sounding pedantic or perhaps worse, distracting my students from their own experiences of themselves in the moment?
• The Divine – What is my relationship to the cosmic and beautiful ordering of the universe? Do other people spend as much time exploring their relationship to the eternal?  How is the eternal manifest in my life? In yours?  Am I following my dharma?
• Breath – I breath in and I breathe out.  Sometimes I’m aware of it, most of the time I’m not.  But when I do settle down and watch, I notice that I can direct my breath anywhere in my body.  I can focus my breath along one side of the body and then the other.  I can wash my body with breath, I can heal my body with breath.  Expansion, contraction, extension, attention. Om
• Blogging – Does anybody even read my blog?  How can my blog actually be of service.  How are my thoughts and observations relevant to the lives of others?  How can I use my blog to connect more fully with my students and to my friends?

Okay, so there you have it.  A limited window into the wanderings of my mind. Any one of these and many other thoughts could be more fully expanded. And they have, but not on paper.    But I am now open to dialogue.   If any of you out there reading this, and are interested in further explorations of these and other topics, let me know.  Let’s go down that road of infinite inquiry together.  Let’s deepen the dialogue of what it means to be awake and alive in this moment, on this planet, with this breath.

Thank you for your continued support,

Shalom & Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi

P.S:  The Soundbath on March 16th is already full, if you want to sign up for the April 18th Soundbath, click here.