I attended an asana class recently and was touched by a traditional yoga story that my teacher shared with us at the end of practice.
It went something like this:
There was once a woman searching for enlightenment. She sought the advice of many spiritual teachers and went through the proper channels but had no success. Finally, she came upon a wise teacher who asked her an all important question: “Who in your life do you love with all your heart and envision as the embodiment of the divine?” The woman thought about it for a moment and knew her answer – it was her nephew. The wise teacher advised her to worship her nephew as she would a deity (god or goddess) – as if he was the purest embodiment of the divine in human form. She was to present him with nice goodies, dedicate her yoga practice to him and love him unconditionally with all her heart and soul. The woman did as she was instructed (how nice it would be to be her nephew!) and of course, became enlightened!
This story touched me on a day I was feeling quite conflicted. As I left my house, husband and one year old behind to head to yoga, I felt guilty. It didn’t help that my son was watching me pull out of the driveway from the door. I felt that maybe I should stay home, go for a walk with my family (the sun was just coming out!) and not leave them to go practice yoga by myself.
As soon as I arrived at class I reaffirmed to myself that I need this time. I need it to nourish my body and soul – and to get clarity. My focus on the mat makes me a better mom, wife and friend off the mat – after all, it’s all about balance!
I also realized that my own little deity – my son, is a major part of my own path to enlightenment. I truly envision him as the purest form of light and love on earth and it made me smile to think that he is actually part of my path to bliss.
Ask yourself the question of the wise spiritual teacher – “Who in your life do you love with all your heart and envision as the embodiment of the divine?” Once you have your answer you can follow her advice – present them with goodies, dedicate your yoga practice to them and love them unconditionally with all your heart and soul!
If we all did this just imagine how wonderfully we would all be treating each other! And if the wise teacher’s advice holds true – we would all be one step closer to divinity!
Krista Bromfield
Krista Bromfield is a senior teacher at Balancd Life Yoga, a RYT, Can-Fit-Pro PRO Trainer, Mom and Auntie. She has an Honors Degree in Kinesiology and Education, and is the lead Anatomy Instructor for the Balanced Life Yoga Teacher Training Programs. Krista teaches a variety of classes including Power Yoga, Partner Yoga, Kids Yoga, Yog-ahhh, Prenatal Yoga, Stroller Fitness and Mom and Baby Yoga Bootcamp.
