In the development of this loving humane community we must collectively foster and build, let us look at bringing in a new level of transformative energy. Actually, this energy is not new at all. The teachings of Jesus, the Buddha and the other sages of old have been stating this through time: Live in love, peace, gentleness and compassion; delight in the feminine principle of the universe; reside in the heart of the Blessed Mother.
For far too many centuries past, the predominance of the assertive male energy has created a world ruled by force and aggression. Today, war and its machines, terrorism, poverty, greed and corruption are already destroying the inner fabric of our spirits.
The need to build communities should focus on the change of the individual’s inner values and understanding of his/her place in the larger scheme of things. It is not about competition but collaboration, not one-upmanship but partnership. The rising spiritual energy of the times suggest that profit-making business ventures must be tempered by corporate social responsibility and that use of environment, and our lifestyle choices be sustainable.
To harness conscious transformation towards instilling changes in our tired and broken world, and renew our harried spirits, we must look to having spiritual practices in our daily lives. This inner dimension, ruled by our feminine nature (both for men and women) must reflect the gentler, more loving domain of spirit. This is what we have to strengthen. Today, many people practice spiritual disciplines, either in passive prayer and meditation, or in the more dynamic motion practices such as yoga, chi-gong, kalimasada and aikido. I truly believe that these conscious people who discipline themselves to understand their spirits in a deeper, more connected way beyond religion, are all creating the kind of world we want to live in: a world based on clarity and connection.
The yoga community in Manila is a small but tight one. Offered are various styles of yoga such as the more challenging Ashtanga or Power Yoga, the exacting Iyengar, the quietening Shivananda, the hot experience of Bihkram and the gentler Vinyasa slow flows. The intention of yoga (as with other dynamic spiritual practices) is to clear all obstructions, imbalances, distortions or afflictions, including negative emotions. Through these purifying movements, one can begin to experience the natural mind. It is when majority of the world learns to live in the clarity of the "natural" mind can spirit flow through actions that will effect transformative social-political and economic changes.
There is a Sanskrit word called Shakti that means power, force or feminine energy. Shakti represents the fundamental creative instinct underlying the cosmos, and is the energizing force of all divinity, of every being and every thing. All interpretations of the word shakti hold one common parameter, namely power. It can be likened to Sophia, a word used by the Christian church to mean "the holy wisdom of God" often associated with the Holy Spirit, which is a feminine energy. God’s wisdom, which contains the Logos, is from where emanates the beginning of everything God created.
It is high time now to harness the body-mind-spirit lifestyle enriched by the feminine spirit. Integrating spiritual disciplines that allow the awakening of Shakti and Sophia consciousness through the physical body is a move towards wholeness. Yoga is one of many disciplines that methodically allow this integration.
Shakti, in the context of yoga, refers to the energy released from deep within (the specific source identified as the coccyx at the base of the spine). Specific movements, positions and breathing techniques, allow the powerful energy to rise through the spine up to the top of the head. When this happens, consciousness is expanded, and the fruits of the feminine spirit – love, peace and gentleness – become evident in one’s life.
Yoga Manila, in its effort at community building, will be bringing in internationally acclaimed fitness guru Lawrence Biscontini. He is known for his Shakti workshops and classes that fuse together several physical disciplines. He combines classical yoga poses with T’ai Chi and Pilates, resulting in choreographed, flowing applications done to non-traditional yogic music. Lawrence will teach his Shakti workshop on Sept. 25 in Alabang from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and in Makati from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
(For more information, please contact 0920-6486536 or e-mail yogamanilatalabang@gmail.com)