Getting to Tulum

hermanas de VillahermosaWe have had many more adventures getting to Tulum and I will definitely elaborate soon.  However, for now, the internet connection is slow at best and non-existent most of the time.  That is okay because we are here at Maya Tulum, our home away from home.  We have been greeted with incredible love and warmth by the staff and all the people we have met in the town.  It is truly a magical place with lovely people and absolutely stunning natural surroundings.

Today, the first group of students arrive for our retreat.  Many have been here before but some are coming for the first time.  I am shifting gears a bit in my head.  Traveling with my family has been amazing.  In some ways, I feel that I have been so much more present than when I am home.  Now, I am shifting into teaching mode which takes a bit of energy and focus.

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali’s yoga sutras are used by many yoga students as a philosophical guide to the concepts and practice of yoga.  I believe that all yoga should be accessible and practical.  In fact, as I said above, I felt more centered and present during the past days of traveling than I sometimes do practicing asana.  Asana is a tool and I think that it becomes more and more critical to use these tools when the world becomes more chaotic and overwhelming.  A sutra is a thread.  Something that ties everything together.

Sutra 1.1

atha-yoga-anursasanam

The sutras are written in Sanscrit and have been translated, or more accurately interpreted by many many scholars.  The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are translated and then there is commentary (interpretation).  Every single one of these translations are similar but the interpretation is quite different based on the background of the scholar.  One thing is for sure, that there is some very interesting and important information imbedded in the sutras.  Another important thing is that the concepts in yogic philosophy are not unique.  Many philosophies speak of the same concepts and therefore, I believe, my goal is to find the “threads” that tie all of this together and make it truly a guide to better communication, compassion, and unity.

The Beginning

So what does the first Sutra 1.1 mean?  And now the practice of yoga begins. To me, this means, right now, right here is the beginning of something new.  Transformation begins right now, not later.  This is the beginning of the rest of our lives.  Past is gone and the present is all there is.  What does that mean to you?  To me it means hope.  I hope that a great transformation is occurring all over the world.

The Girls Above

What this trip is teaching me is how we all rely on each other whether we like it or not.  Why not like it?  We have needed so much help along the way and sometimes it has come from the most unlikely source, like those little girls who pointed us in the right direction when we were lost.  Yoga is about opening up to the connection between all living things.  It is about finding the thread that ties us all together.  More on the Sutras later, for now I wish you a new year filled with hope, love and connection to others.  Peace, Mimi

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