Wednesday morning I picked up a copy of Erich Schiffmann’s book “Yoga, The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness.” I barely cracked the cover and was knocked over by the profound wisdom that he shares.
I don’t know if this is a copyright issue, but I am going to pass on an excerpt from his introduction.
He writes:
“The purpose of yoga is to facilitate the profound inner relaxation that accompanies fearlessness. The release from fear is what finally precipitates the full flowering of love. In this state you will love what you see in others, and others will love you for having been seen. This is the softened perception of the world that yoga promotes.”
Wow, to see the world with a softened perception, to release the hardness from our hearts, which is generally the onslaught of fear: this is what our breath-work, what the asanas and what mediation promote. How profound, and gentle is that? I took this thought with me to my practice this week. I opened myself up to release fear; releasing fear is so much more difficult than it sounds. It can be so painful and yet totally cathartic.
Opening yourself up to that is so brave.
I deeply thank Schiffmann for his words, which although only read in a book, felt as deep and honest as they would if they came directly from his lips.
To the release of all that blocks our hearts and minds.
Namaste.
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