Unity Through Yoga

A group of apparently disconnected bodies moves through a space together for a short time.  When the time is over, the bodies chant the sound of "om" and then bow to one another saying, "namaste."  There is now a discernable connection.  This connection is healing and it feels like peace, power and unity. 

My favorite translation of "namaste" is this: May the light in me respect and reflect the light in you.  My teacher Sinda says this at the close of her classes.  This weekend I attended a class taught by Freddie Wyndham.  When he said "namaste," he also said "shalom."  I was very touched by this.  With Passover and Easter on the horizon, he wished each of us a happy celebration according to our individual faith.  I was inspired by his ability to unite a random group of people with a single purpose: Love.  He reminded us that Love is at the core of our being and Love is our true identity.  I experienced Love during his class. 

Not coincidentally, I have been speaking with a lot of my peers lately about their chosen stress relievers and paths to wholeness.  I am researching a book on grown children of the mentally ill.  Many of us do yoga.  Two people I have interviewed did yoga every day for a month as part of a grieving process.  One woman said that the experience of moving through the asanas in a room with a group of other bodies made her a little stronger each day after losing one of her parents.  Everyone I have spoken with who does yoga regularly benefits from the unity of the practice. 

There is so much divisiveness in our society.  We have red states and blue states.  We have pro-choice and anti-abortion individuals.  We have racial tension.  We have religious differences.  We have economic and social divides.  We have working mothers and stay-at-home mothers, and a new group called "hybrid moms."  We have vegetarians, vegans, meat eaters and people who love fast food.  We have home schoolers, magnet schoolers, Montessori schools and Catholic schools.  We have a news media that is constantly trying to smack labels on people.  It is a wonder that we manage to connect at all. 

Our ability to connect and share Love with others is a miracle.   It is the greatest miracle of humanity.  I wish to focus on this miracle rather than spend my time thinking about all of the issues that divide us.  I experience this miracle through yoga.  I have also experienced this miracle through music. 

How do you experience the miracle of connection with those who are "different" from you?  Do you believe in differences or do you believe in unity?  Do you believe in Love?