by Natasha Schaffer | Apr 30, 2023 | Diary
I like Semac. He is new to yoga, but has been coming to the Clinic like clockwork twice a week. Follows up with a “thank you” text almost every time. He is a true blue all American old timer who drives an old volvo ’cause it just sat in his neighbor’s yard too long, so he bought it. He is new to yoga, but has been a yogi all his life, I get the sense. Yet because he is convinced of his newness, Semac is innocent enough about the practice – he just says it like it is: plain and honest.
Once after a particularly “twisted” class (we didn’t put our feet behind our ears – but I DID do Samikarana pranayama with them in 4 diagonal directions), there was a deafening silence for about 10 minutes. Each time – there is nothing left to say after. Except this time, Semac dropped it: “Well this was just kind of a pretzel yoga”.
Damn right, Semac. Because LIFE is a PRETZEL. But remember: YOU are NOT.
Each time we do this twisted yoga – we put ourselves into a sort of pretzel, so that we could find the pretzel hole – a space within that is not twisted, shrunk and contorted. A space within that’s free. And we breathe into that pretzel hole so we can expand it, increase our inner freedom. Sometimes we add a bind, an arm/leg balance – bit of “mustard” to give that pretzel flavor, open up it’s taste.
Shiva is the pretzel hole: SPACE, One who holds everything in His vast embrace.
Shakti is the mustard: One who stimulates, challenges, creates, exists, changes, moves – the CONTENT.
We are both: Shiva and Shakti. Some days, more like pretzel hole. Others – more like mustard. But never the pretzel.
LIFE IS A PRETZEL. What are you today, Semac?
by Natasha Schaffer | Apr 29, 2023 | Diary
I was meditating on my deck – connected deeply to fierce form of Divine Mother who is my Ishta Devata…
Amidst the noises of my surroundings one came particularly clear, accompanied by man’s muttering. Hesitantly, I opened my eyes. And saw a man with clipboard stumble through my wild yard – he saw me look at him and dropped his clipboard. He saw my posture, mat and mala. “I am so sorry, I didn’t know you were praying! i prayed this morning too, so I know! I know!!”
Shaken off meditative state myself, I calmly said it’s Ok, does he need my help, etc.
He would hear none of it, but keep apologizing profusely. Until I finally asked him to calm down and breathe a little. He was AAA home inspector, here to inspect my house for insurance estimate. He proceeded throughout the house, asking permission to step one foot in front of the other, while continuing to apologize profusely, almost crying, hands shaking – clipboard and all.
I’ve never seen a man so scared in my life. He must have known that to disrupt a yogi from samadhi is 1 of 5 instant ways to collect negative karma. And if it’s a Yogini… Well, my grand teacher even warned hapless fellow I once knew: “you shouldn’t make a woman angry”.
A Yogini is far too powerful on her own.. That is why, throughout the world she is always “tempered” by a man (or attempted to be). Why? Because, if she is not – this wouldn’t be a man’s world anymore. It would just be a … gasp! …
WORLD
in which man, woman, child, beast, all can just … gasp! …
BE
Because that is what our Mother would want for us, would she not? To just BE. Would you not want this for your child?..
