This pictures reflects, in some way, some of my impressions at the moment .

A diffused spring 

immersed in this futurist, surrealist panorama 

in which I learn, more and more, to live in the  present,

with the sensation, as in the picture

of not being able to see further than the close instant.  

It is in those instants, when I find myself distinguishing  as never before the detailes in the landscape that, from the window, accompanied me in my afternoons of study during my teens. So much looking though the same window, in this, another time, the colours offer me an unusual richness of nuances and the horizon gets full with exquisite details.  

I can say the same about my inner landscape, with more time to explore and wonder at its exuberant reality. 

r e a l i t y

interesting concept

If I speak about the reality pulsating  with light and filled with possibilities that abides inside of me, those always ready to raise the tirant flag of rationality would reproach that I am not a realistic person.  How daring to forget that dense and weird “reality” we universally inhabit?

There are moments in which that reality suffocates me. But I must admit that, so far, are the least. 

 yoga has innumerable, and some times nearly antagonist, teachings about reality.

One of them is this list of the four states of Consciousness (that Tantra broadens later): 

waking
dreaming
deep sleep
“turya”  or meditative state 

 

Which one is more real? 

What I live in this moment sitting in front of my computer, feeling the freshness of the morning and watching a flock of white doves to take flight at once?  

Tonight´s dream when I was in my Moroccan home with a feeling that something was differente?  

The darkness I perceive when I close my eyes that has its own permission to change into any form or no-form at every moment?  

These days, more than ever, the different states of my Consciousness intermingle dancing among them  

… And I am grateful.

I am grateful to be reminded that reality is less solid than I think. 

I am grateful to be reminded that everything is One.

What is reality? 

No doubt it is a  mystery 

A mystery that guides me to keep on practicing,

with deeper love for the practices 

and with deeper love for life.

NAMASTE

…with love to Shyama

March 25th 2020 – DAY 12th of lockdown 

In a rebellious act, I looked into the mirror and, as if breaking free from this invisible cage in  which I have been twelve days already, I paint my lips red.

Maybe I did not have a red lipstick in my make-up purse for the last twenty-five years. Yes, since those times in which I used to disowned my tanned skin during summer and attempting to look like a geisha/punk/what-do-I-know, I used to apply a very expensive greenish cream that, below the make-up, several tones lighter than my skin, cancelled any rose color from my cheeks.  At those times, in which Pluto was hanging hands with my Sun, a gothic and sinister entity possessed me and it only allowed me to dress in black and show up in ways that know I see as very little flattering.

A red lipstick was one of the last things I bought before the quarantine. I was desiring one  for a long time, and in several occasions I went into a make-make-up shop, leaving with my empty hands. Infinite options of red. I do really back choosing among so many options. I get blocked. But that day of tension, the day that the toilet paper was sold out in Madrid, I went down to but Kleenex and, as it was forbidden to test the lipsticks for the posible infection, I asked the saleswoman to chose one for me. 

I did not think about the lipstick in all these days. Until today. It was the day to go out shopping.  Tired of the unrecognisable image of myself in the mirror, I dressed in black and grey, as the energy of the last news. Delighting myself in the moment, that I consciously made longer as if stopping time, the mirror lit up with my blood color, life color, lips.

In my imagination were the  passers-by I would cross with. There looks of gratitude for the joy of my lips. My little grain of sand in an uncertain and sad world.

The town look like a desert. Not even my beloved Murakami would have imagined the possibility of a whole world in pause, with all the people isolated. Once in the street I took out from my pocket the mask that my mom had made hours ago, sewing close to the window.  Mask.  Walls. Borders. Cages into cages, like Russian matrioshkas.  

I look into the mirror. I see myself different. Tomorrow I will make some waves in my hair. Waves of freedom that remind me of the Ocean. 

Nature is an artwork. The coronavirus image could be a contemporary art painting hanging in any of our, now closed, city museums. 

But I am saying this thinking in a more masterful sense. In a momento where the human species was unstoppably moving towards its own destruction, Nature, yes, Mother Earth, manifests its grandiose power as a single ARN chain that is challenging our way of life.  

Covid-19, one more of the species that form this complex entity that we call Earth and from which we are part of, shows up as a weapon of the Mother, in its most ferocious form, know in the Hindu tradition as Kali, to give us a time to contemplate, to recalibrate our habits, offering us the possibility of survival as humans on this beautiful planet.

In my morning walk with Ananda, I was thinking on how nature continues its course with no alteration. Sun rises in the morning, the sky gets painted in blue, birds sing (it seems even louder with the absence of other sounds), flowers show off happy in their branches. Only humans are missing, and this brings a sense of both emptiness and relief.  

This world-wide experience is a great opportunity for growth and evolution. I hope we all use this time in a wise way to elevate our energy, our awareness so we can start anew with a renovated vision. 

I have been trying to write this blog for a few days, navigating through certain lack of concentration and a inner bombing of  ideas for writing. So I have decided to codify in smaller contents. The most important message I want to convey today is: 

It is not possible to insist enough about this: your sadhana is more important than ever.

Sadhana = regular, constant, devotional practice

It has not been a more important moment to practice YOGA than now, both for your individual well-being and for the opportunity to elevate human consciousness.  

This are  some of the benefits of establishing a regular and constant practice during this time at home:

• At a physical level, practice of asana and pranayama strengthen the inmune system and gives vitality. It will also help you to sleep better.  
• At a mental level, it gives you a rest from so much information and helps you to maintain clarity. 
• At an emotional level, allows you to connect with the observer and not been swept by the intense emotions that can bring episodes of anxiety. On one hand, the emotional body is altered and the nervous system on alert. There is a whirlwind of emotions, thoughts, feelings. Human beings have a brutal capacity for adaptation but even though, we all feel we are in front  of an extreme situation in which we lose control over our lives. It is important NOT deny your emotions. It is totally normal to feel fear sadness, rage,… Allow yourself to cry or to express your emotions. 
• At a spiritual level, yoga connects you with the essence and generates trust.

As yogis we have been preparing for this and, in fact. many of us see this time as a time of spiritual retreat.  In the same way that social discipline is important to stop the infection, the discipline and energy of our sadhana is key in these moments to bring  light into the world

  If you do not have a regular sadhana. this is the perfect moment to create this discipline.  

With the intention to help, I am starting to offer on-line classes in my on-line school rasalilayoga.online in the upcoming days. There will be some free classes and the possibility to subscribe to some more. Lets be in touch. And write me with suggestions about what you need in these moments.