By Jacci Gruninger, MS, C-IAYT, ERYT-500
In the book, A Warrior of the Light by Paul Coehlo, he writes a warrior is “…someone capable of understanding the miracle of life, of fighting to the last for something he believes in and of hearing the bells that the waves set ringing on the seabed … Everyone is capable of these things. And, though no one thinks of himself as a Warrior of Light, we all are.”
Then, not even knowing the journey I had started, one of my yoga teacher trainees lent me a book called, The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. This book was made into a movie years ago starring Nick Nolte. I had watched the movie and remembered being moved by the message.
Over the last five years, I have sold a soul fulfilling and prosperous yoga business, moved 2,000 miles with no job, no friends and no permanent home lined up, dealt with some personal health issues, started a new business in difficult economic times and got a divorce. That’s just my personal life; in the bigger world we have continued to see war, poverty, crime, natural disasters, change in government, a pandemic and so much more. Whether we recognize it or not, the lives of those in our community, country and world affect how we move in our personal world. Often the effect is positive, we re-evaluate what is important, we start to save, we look at how we contribute to the betterment of the world through giving, making greener choices or just smiling at the person in line behind us in the grocery store.
Our personal revolutions, although minor in the world picture, are quite large in our own lives. We all struggle, we all have bad days, we all encounter people who push our buttons, we all lose loved ones. And I guess we always have a choice – we can persevere and “understand the miracle of life and fight for what we believe in or we can give up. In my life, if nothing else, I have always persevered, sometimes that meant letting go of something other times it meant digging my heels in with renewed effort. The Warrior of Light thinks things through, she prepares, trains and assesses her responsibilities and duties, she remains calm and will even change direction if needed, but a Warrior of Light also ventures forth and makes decisions. The Warrior of Light often rediscovers the same situation over and over only because she has never moved or seen beyond the situation. I recall lessons I seemed to have to learn over and over and I keep learning each time so that the next time I am wiser. One day maybe I will see beyond or move past the lesson.
Warriors also give, help and serve not only to others, but also to ourselves. Sometimes I get so busy with my life I forget to take care of myself, to get to my mat or meditation cushion, spend time with family and friends or just read a good book. These are the things that feed my soul and help me stay mindful and able to continue my quiet revolution. The other practice that I forget – is breathing. “The breath is a bridge between mind and body, feeling and doing. Natural breathing brings you to the present moment”, says the Peaceful Warrior. How many times have I gone through an entire day and not noticed my breath, until I find I am tired and worn-out and then I take in a deep breath. Oh, to remember the simple things that serve me.
A warrior also needs to have a strong container – body, mind and spirit – I have found over the last few years that incorporating the warrior poses into my practice have created a greater sense of strength and foundation in my body. No doubt, they are challenging in all regards – strength, balance, focus and stamina. However, holding, being present and breathing in the pose have brought me a greater depth of understanding about myself and what I run away from and what I run to. They have helped me gain clarity and focus.
When one begins a journey or makes a decision, it’s as if the universe also decides to share its wealth on the subject. The next book I happened upon was a new release at my local library, The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Much to my delight, this book was about the Mahabharat, the world-famous Indian epic, but told from the perspective of a woman – a true warrior, fighting for herself and her family as well as others in the world. Her life is like any of ours, many quiet and not so quiet revolutions that she trains for, analyzes, repeats over and over until she moves through it. A wonderful tale that also supported my journey these last few years.
Our lives will continue, our governments, communities and world will continue but I believe the things we do as individuals, our own quiet revolutions, will influence the outcome on some level of all that happens.
Jacci Gruninger is a Certified Yoga Therapist and Thai Yoga Massage Therapy. She regularly helps clients manage stress with yoga, meditation, breathwork and bodywork. Her office is at 190 Central Park Square #209. Visit her website at www.yogawithjacci.com to find out more.