Yoga Perspective: Goddess Rising, a Renaissance of Spirit
All my life I’ve been surrounded by women. I
grew up with five sisters and my mother; I had female
house-mates, worked with many women; I studied with mostly women
while gaining Yoga and Life Coaching certifications; I have been
blessed with more than 31 years of marriage to my wife, Bridget;
and, indeed, more than seventy-five percent of my yoga students
are female. I have to admit it, I have been surrounded by
wonderful women and I am captivated by feminine energy and
sensitivities. I believe they will save our world.
Ever since an early age I had a lot of feminine
energy around me. Granted it wasn’t always pleasant, it was
always enlightening. Of course there were family squabbles among
the kids but also I witnessed the tension between generations as
my sisters, and I suppose my mother too, began to expand the
roles and freedoms of women. I believe we were all fortunate to
have been born into these times because we are both witnessing
and participating in a fundamental shift of global energy: the
sacred feminine is arising.
It is my privilege to work in such closeness
with so many women. I bear witness to a growing movement of
women regaining their power without compromising the best of the
qualities of being feminine. Women are diversifying their roles
and are demanding a balance of equality; they are even finding
new and creative ways to express all aspects of their being,
even the masculine qualities. The Taoist symbol of Yin-Yang [
is a perfect symbol for describing the balance of energy that I
witness in these wonderful friends and students. Additionally, I
get to have wonderful interplay with men who have softened into
their feminine side, both on and off the mat. Overall I see more
beauty and creative power, more balance and equanimity.
A tenant of my spiritual practice is to strive
to "take it deeper." Yes, I have a lot of women in my
life but what is to be learned and shared from this? First, I
have to acknowledge that at an early age I also had a powerful
image of divine femininity in my Catholic upbringing. The Virgin
Mary was greatly honored and was taught that her loving care
expressed as unconditional love showered down upon us; a great
salve for a young boy who frequently felt lost in the dynamic of
living with six females and five other males (four brothers and
my dad).
Later in my life as I studied Buddhism. and then
metaphysics, I also explored a compelling force within me that
drew me deeper into the heart of feminine energy. In time, I
identified more with the name "Mother Mary" than the
Catholic rendition; it seemed more natural to think of the
Divine Mother as a power that actually had intercourse with male
energy. Balance seemed to demand this perspective, and opened
the door to explore power in the form of creative feminine
energy. I recognize that the term "mother" is a
heavily anthropomorphic limitation of language and our capacity
to conceptualize the Supreme Whole expressing and creating
itself as it gives birth to our reality. Regardless,
"Mother" works really well for me.
My human mother was a lovely and very strong
woman. My observation of women who become mothers is very
favorable for within motherhood we can witness a level of love
that is powerful in its depth and heart-achingly beautiful in
its tenderness; passionate and intense in its nurturing
expression. All this sensitivity to feminine energy made me ripe
for a powerful ride of personal growth and my own empowerment.
The yoga community is, as mentioned above, primarily made up of
women. The yoga teacher community is more than ninety percent
female. My years of studying with them, and sharing the delight
of profound Tantric studies, deepened my respect and admiration
for women in a profound way. It also lead me around to a more
personal relationship with the Divine Feminine, for which I
choose to use the more intimate and affectionate term of
"mother." She becomes the Goddess to me, and I relate
personally in a sweet sort of surrender that is experienced
between beloveds.
Within Tantra, we hold the concept that the
highest most unified Supreme Consciousness—Om, God, Shiva—pours
out its creative force—Shakti— for the delight of knowing
itself in its infinite diversity, all held within its infinite
wholeness. This force is what we refer to when we say
"mother nature." It is the very essence of beingness
empowered by the supreme force, expressing itself within a field
of infinite love. The Tantric view holds that it is all
"mother" pulsing in and out of being. As such this
expansion and contraction represents a love that includes the
shadow side, the places where the love is diminished and the
light is made dark. We grow through trial and error. If a tool
is powerful enough to complete a task you put it down and pick
up a more useful one for the next task. By this I mean that
through the loving application of compassion—for ourselves and
others—we grow into our next highest level of being. Most of
us could go on and on about how our trials and tribulations have
been the very afflictions of love that produced great insight
and growth.
My personal practice is to keep an on-going
awareness of my presence within the presence of the Divine
Mother. I love to sense her flowing around me, in me, and from
me. I offer my gratitude as often as I can, for even the
smallest things such as the abundance of dirty dishes and
clothes that I can launder. Blessings abound. I have a
twice-daily practice in which I love to sit and just feel,
without thinking. These meditations take me deeper into
relationship to the presence of that which is holy already
within me. When I get out of my mental-dominated state of being
(masculine?) I experience this loving energetic embrace in a
ever-more-sublime way. I find it to be most nurturing. It
becomes a salve for my soul and helps me to feel more connected
to others and my world.
What really floats my boat is seeing the
unfolding of this feminine power and consciousness all around
us. This is a multi-generational and non-gender specific pulse
of connecting with new and higher levels of feminine qualities.
I see them being implemented throughout our society,
relationships of all sorts, and even our business and
government. Qualities such as mutual cooperation and
communication, tapping into the power of diversity, making
contributions for the greater good, showing mutual respect and a
willingness to help others succeed, are all being explored and
implemented in new and wonderful ways all around us. The
practical Tantrika side within me also recognizes that the
shadow still exists as well. We can gain strength and
perspective from recognizing that we build upon the base of what
has come before us; life and evolution is a spiraling assent
from the base level of existence to the more sublime being we
can aspire to become.
The path of growth I choose to follow is the
path, or better yet, dance, with the Goddess. I seek to expand
my capacity to love and interact within the kindness of others.
I seek to be creative and appreciate the creativity of others. I
revel in the wonder of the differences and similarities between
men and women; in learning the ways of women and their powerful
contribution to our social evolution. The feminine power is
rising around, and within us, and it makes me very optimistic
about our future. In short, we are experiencing a renaissance of
Spirit, and that spirit has a distinctly feminine face to it.
Yoga and Mexican Cooking Retreat ~ April 15 to 19, 2013
Come join me this Spring in a Yogic exploration
of delights in Sayulita, Mexico. Our theme while visiting
tropical lands is experiencing the diversity of creation through
the eyes of the divine feminine. We will be staying right on the
beach as we weave a practice of yogic play, cooking and feasting
on delights as we learn from a wonderful Mexican chef. We’ll
practice a gentle flow of yoga and deep meditations appropriate
for all levels of experience. Come and enjoy opening into a yoga
practice of intimacy and play with our surrounding world bathed
in the temperate tropical heat of Mexico!
Find more information at my website www.TheYogaCoach.com
and take advantage of a 10% early registration discount. Prices
start at $895 and include room, board, three cooking classes and
yoga. Extended stays before and after retreat dates are
available.
- Class Schedule and Services
Sunday: 11:15 am – 12:30 pm at Olympic
Athletic Club in Ballard
6:30 pm – 7: 45 pm at Olympic Athletic Club in Ballard
Monday:
12:00 noon to 1:15 pm at Olympic Athletic Club in Ballard
Thursday: 7:30 pm to 8:45
pm in my home yoga studio – Space
now available
$12 drop-in fee, mats and blocks provided. This is a class for
students looking for an
intimate and personalized community class exploring the playful
joy of a strong practice.
Friday:
12:00 noon to 1:15 pm at Olympic Athletic Club
Saturday: 10 am to 11:15
morning class at the Phinney Neighborhood Center
$10 drop-in class fee. Mats and blocks provided.
Inquire about these other services I provide:
~ Private Yoga Instruction and/or therapy
~ Special group Yoga and meditation classes at
your location
~ Wedding ceremony officiating
- Life Coaching / Personalized Support
I am a certified Personal Life Coach and can
help you transform your life, work and personal relationships
into the most vibrant image you can create for yourself. You
can learn the skills to achieve goals, make profound changes
and cultivate the wisdom to live at ease and empowered. Give
me a call (206 861-2775) or check out the details at www.TheYogaCoach.com.
First trial session is FREE!
Book:
Proof of Heaven, A Neurosurgeon’s
Journey into the Afterlife, by Eben Alexander, M.D. This
book is a scientific exploration of a near death experience and
how a medical professional came to peace with the spiritual
aspect of our humanity and its transcendence beyond death. A
powerful read for the skeptic who prefers the scientific
perspective and yet wants to make peace with the concept of an
after-life.
May your heart be filled with peace, joy and
light.
Namaste,
Will
PS. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on
to your friends. A link to archived issues can be found at http://www.theyogacoach.com/.
You can reach me at wjddoran@comcast.net
or call me on my cell phone at 206 861-2775. ____________________________________________
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