Covid -19 - Kali practice
April 5 2020 - Jeanette
Whilst in the garden yesterday on a beautiful sunny autumn Nelson afternoon, surrounded by organic vegetables, herbs and plants, on a blissfully quieter than usual farm, I still found myself in my head thinking thoughts of fear, worry, and anxiety about the future. It struck me how this lack of harmony between where my body was and my mind was - led to my suffering at that particular moment. The monkey mind was in full swing, despite being no where near any apparent danger or stress in my physical or material environment. When I can notice this, 'be where my feet are' and return back to the mantra taught by Ram Dass "I am loving awareness", then I can bring myself back to the beauty and mystery of life unfolding at this moment in time. Full of beauty, abundance and life force.
The great Yogi - Paramahansa Yogananada had said there will always be 'trouble' in the world, and even predicted a cataclysmic event of our time - we can look to the timeframe of the Yugas to get a reference point and to remind ourselves of the great cycle of change and transformation that comes out of the dark Kali Yuga.
The literal meaning of Kali is Time. Kali - is the Goddess of Time and the Power of Transformation herself.
May we use this ‘lockdown’ time to draw inwards. To connect to Kali - to see this is a powerful time of potential for transformation and change. May we abide in love and draw on the universal strength and power to move us through this time and come out with a greater understanding of what our planet demands from us now. May we simplify, reduce consumption, cultivate nourishing habits, strengthen our connection to spirit, and draw quieter and listen. May we breathe in the cleaner air with gratitude, and implement new habits to keep Mother Earth breathing more easily. Its astounding how quickly She is healing, when us humans reduce taking from her relentlessly. May we notice what comes up when we are challenged, and may we embrace the difficulties with courage so we may be able to move through and transform.
There are so many great teachings available to us know, at a time when we need it more than ever. I am personally so grateful for these wisdom teachings and how accessible they are given to us now. When we anchor ourselves into these teachings and our practices we remind ourselves of our homecoming back to the body, the breath and to the Divine Spark that is life itself.
I found listening to this podcast a wonderful reminder of present moment awareness practices. Here's a link to a beautiful podcast recorded over 20 years ago with Thich Nhat Hanh. This was re played on March 31st, 2020 on Insights at the Edge, with Tami Simon. His teachings so relevant and helpful now. Sounds True: Insights at the Edge: Thich Nhat Hanh: Meditation Is for Everyone on Apple Podcasts
another podcast with Tara Brach
https://product.soundstrue.com/resilience-in-challenging-times/?utm_campaign=S200403-RiCT-J%26T-Apology%20%28KFU5ju%29&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Email%20Team&_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJqaWRhY2Fua2l3aTFAeWFob28uY29tIiwgImtsX2NvbXBhbnlfaWQiOiAiSk1EZ2FxIn0%3D
Namaste