A Reflection on Effort, Pumas, and the Teacher that Came Before
Photo by Max Waugh
Furthering the roots of our lineage and holding deep reverence for the teachers that came before is just a part of what makes our Shala so special. So, as I transition away from this hallowed Tuesday morning class, stepping into what feels like my sophomore Wednesday class, I would be remiss if I did not mention Jacquie Brown. Jacquie so beautifully, effortlessly, and graciously occupied Tuesdays before me. She infused the Shala with her love of this practice and commitment to equanimity and equality. Her class deepened my devotion as a student, and I was honored to be asked to teach it in her stead.
Jacquie, to me, exudes grace. Not the way you might think of a dancer, but rather a female Puma on the plains in Patagonia. Her presence is somehow steeped in both gravitas and weightlessness. The physical body poised to move through space with purpose and conviction. She observes the environment. She steps slowly with purpose and awareness, with steadiness and ease. These concepts of sthira (stability/strength) and sukha (ease/openness) are ever-present in Jacquie’s teaching. She is palpably grounded and calm, in a way that speaks to years spent cultivating a deep practice of acceptance and awareness. The kind of practice that lives in the body, redirects the psychology of habit, and spreads outward like wildfire. The kind of practice that requires a level of prayatna (effort), that permeates the physical, the spiritual, the emotional. Her embodiment of Aparigraha, the final Yama in Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga, translated as non-attachment, non-grasping, and non-greed, balances prayatna and allows for longevity in work and practice.
If you can allow yourself to continually show up and trust that new paths and new ways of being will present themselves, that you are and always will be exactly where you need to be, the fruits of your labor will appear and you will be poised, as the Puma, to take deliberate action.
Like Guruji says, “Practice and ALL IS COMING”.
A blog post by Amy Frances Fraher