march 11, 2012

today was the first anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami in japan. because of it, 15,800 people are dead and 3,300 others are still missing. such an immense tragedy...it's hard to even conceptualize that level of loss and suffering.

i was at my yoga centre tonight for our weekly sunday night gathering, and my friend r.m. suggested we chant not only for the prayer list but also for all the people in japan who are still working to put their lives back together and mourn their dead. as we started, i focused all my effort and concentration on the beings who are mending over there. i visualized my heart full of love, beaming it at them care bear styles.

we were chanting hari om, a healing mantra that's used by many people to focus the energy of the body toward healing the self and others.

if you're interested, here's some background info on the mantra from sri swami satchidananda. his lineage and practices are rooted in the same teachings that i follow (those of swami sivananda of rishikesh, of the saraswati order):
harih (or hari) is another name for cosmic consciousness, in the form of krishna. it literally means "the one that removes all the obstacles and purifies". each syllable of this mantra has its own significance. the first syllable "ha" requires a gentle contraction of the abdomen. "ri" brings the sound up to the throat. then, as the "o" sound is made, the energy flows upward, vibrating into the head. the "m" sound is prolonged to give a beautiful, string-humming vibration that flows up to the crown of the head, and then higher still. om is the universal seed sound, from which all things began. it creates a powerful, uplifting vibration that awakens the natural energy in the body.

i like the idea of supporting someone else's mending. i think that, in itself, is mending. like a little extra wind in their sails in the midst of unimaginable struggle. may we all receive that every now and then. i hope it helped.

after the gathering ended and we were packing up, i went into the kitchen to wash my mug. i looked at the message on the little tea bag, and this is what it said:



interesting, no? i didn't take this to mean heroism and rescue, though i suppose it could be interpreted that way. i read it more as: doing for someone else makes the impossible possible. sacrifice and focus makes the impossible possible. collective effort and collective love. hell yeah, that's fulfilling!