Dear First name / friend,

It has been a very stressful few weeks for many people, including myself and I have felt the need to hide away a little and process all of the stress and fear circulating right now.  In times of conflict and division a profound sorrow courses through us, and we share in this collective grief and fear. It's palpable right now. Confronted by such profound suffering, we find ourselves perplexed and deeply saddened. How can humanity inflict such devastation upon itself?

 

War invokes an existential sorrow as violence, division, terror, and hatred perpetuate the cycle of suffering.  There seems to be an endless loop of anguish, driven by the blind eye of aggression. Violence builds more violence, and ‘hurt people hurt people’ which perpetuates a cycle that tears at the wholeness of our existence.

 

For those of us dedicated to attaining a unified mind and an open heart; those of us particularly empathic, it is profoundly painful to witness senseless acts of war and division.  We watch helplessly as people become entangled in the trap of divisive beliefs, taking sides, each convinced of their own rightness and the wrongness of the other. 

 

For those of us on the path of yoga, our goal is to heal the rift within the mind, recognising that a divided mind perpetuates suffering, both personal and collective. We seek to restore wholeness not only within ourselves but within the world. Yoga offers a path to rebalance our nervous systems, to find equanimity amidst chaos, and to promote a sense of unity and interconnectedness.

 

The outbreak of war in the Middle East compels us to deepen our commitment to loving-kindness, tolerance, and non-harming (ahimsa, the foundational principle of yoga). Although perfect harmony among the world's peoples may be an ideal, we must strive for unity and peace. On the global stage, we should move away from dualistic thinking and narrow "us versus them" mindsets, striving for a greater compassionate presence that can help restore balance to the world and the collective nervous system. Can we strive to find peace within the differences?  It is such a difficult question and certainly not one I have an answer to. I am leaning into the practices and the support of my loved ones and community to help process this feeling of complete overwhelm and helplessness. 

 

If I can help in any way, with a conversation, a coffee, time for deep listening and of course a restorative, somatic yoga class please reach out.  I have felt that there is nothing I can do these past weeks but of course there is power in the small acts of kindness and I am so grateful for the yoga practices I have cultivated that I can share with others to help in some small way to soothe and calm and bring peace.

 

Ahimsa. Do no harm. In what ever small way you can today.