Open to Grace: Part 2 of the Universal Principles of Alignment by Patrick Montgomery

2010-03-13

The first principle

The first principle of Anusara Yoga is Set the Foundation (see Patrick’s previous post) and Open to Grace (this post).

What is Grace?

I’ve been contemplating what Grace is for a while with a lot of help from John Friend (the founder of Anusara Yoga), other Anusara teachers, and students. Here are a few ideas. (I’d like to hear yours!)

• Grace is the way spirit moves.
• Grace is how the divine show’s up in our body, our breath, and our life.
• Grace is the power that brings insight into who we are.
• Grace is the power that brings harmony into our lives.
• Grace is the power that wakes us up.
• Grace reveals the Beauty that exists within the Self and throughout the universe.
• Grace is the revelatory power of spirit that reveals our true nature. That nature is unlimited joy, ultimately free, lacking nothing, intelligent, pulsing with life, good… it is all this and it is beyond words.

Feeling grace

How can we feel something that seems so abstract?

Close your eyes. Think of the things your are grateful for, like being alive, the wonder of a starry sky, sunshine, or the people you love. Feel how gratitude expands you from the inside out. Tune in to the rhythm of the breath. Inhale and feel your inner body get brighter. Keep your side body long. Exhale and feel yourself getting taller inside as your outer body drapes, softens, and blurs into space.

To see grace, look for the good. To hear grace, listen. To invoke grace, sing. To feel grace, get your body moving!

Make it a bright week,

Patrick

P.S. I would like to read your definitions of Grace. Please “Share your thoughts . . . ” below.

P.S.S. For new Anusara students — Look for my post “The Anusara Invocation” and start memorizing the words.