ACTION

Everyone must find his own way.

And when he does, that will express the Universal Way. This is the mystery.

Most of us start a Yoga Practice for our own reasons, our health or stress management. Over time though, practice works on all areas of our life. We become more compassionate and our awareness of the suffering in the world increases and we are moved to action.

Everyone will be moved differently and there is certainly no shortage of ways to serve in the world. So, how to decide?

I like the suggestion from the short story by Leo Tolstoy, “The Three Most Important Questions. The three questions are:

1. Who is the most important person? The person you are with.

2. What is the most important thing to do? Help them.

3. When do I do that? Now

Another thought is to look at the thing that is nagging us, that rains on our parade. The thing that, well, we just can’t be truly happy if we do nothing about it.

Among other things, we at Westshore Yoga are particularly concerned about Climate Change, as something that will affect everyone. We decided to join Green Yoga Association to reaffirm our relationship with the Earth and everything on her. It is a daily reminder to be aware of our actions.

The Earth, our planet, is our home, the only one we will ever have.

We encourage everyone to spend more time outdoors, so that the bond between ourselves and the world around us is clear. Then take action. Do what you can do.

We are Reusing, Recycling, Reinventing, Restoring, Repairing goods we already have and Refraining from buying new goods and Reducing our energy consumption. We support local efforts in green energy by participating in the Solar Colwood Program, putting in a solar hot water system and a ductless heatpump. The studio and our home have a energy rating of 86. We have a hybrid vehicle and are conscious to drive it as little as possible. When we do buy, we do our best to buy from local growers, manufacturers and merchants. We have begun other Urban Homesteading practices, like growing food, making soap etc. We have joined the Colwood Garden Society to help develop a new community garden. We are also redesigning our own garden to reduce water consumption. These are just baby steps, I know, but it is a start.

May your yoga practice lead you to health and energy, to serve in your own way.