Lessons of the Eight of Swords
/It’s been a challenging year, to say the least.
For me, intense emotions of fear, trepidation, frustration, loneliness, confusion, relief, and even joy come in waves – huge, crashing waves - in response to the major shifts happening in our world from day to day. Even as a practiced yogi, I find myself easily surrendering to the force of these waves, allowing them to toss me around before I remember that I have the tools to calm them.
As I sat in meditation this morning, the image of a tarot card, the Eight of Swords, came into my mind. The symbols in the tarot help me to bring forward what I already know, deep in the seat of my soul, knowledge that may be hidden or veiled at the moment. The Eight of Swords depicts a woman, blindfolded and with arms bound, standing with eight swords surrounding her, seeming to trap her in place.
If she could only remove her blindfold, she would see that there is space between the swords. Her feet are not bound. She has the ability, if she could only see clearly, to simply walk between the swords and free herself.
This card symbolizes situations where we might feel powerless, even hopeless, and these feelings worsen our situation. With clear seeing we know that even when we cannot control the events happening around us, we always possess the ability and the responsibility to control our actions and even our own thoughts. We have it within us to change our situation, no matter how trapped we may seem. Hold these thoughts closely during what the media has aptly dubbed “these uncertain times”. As K. Patthabi Jois was known to say, “Do your practice and all is coming.”
Use your practice to free yourself from the illusory bonds of the Eight of Swords:
Take an in-person yoga class: The connection between students and among teacher and students in a live class has it’s own benefits that only adds to the benefits of the practice. We are grounded in, and nourished by, our connection to others.
Take a virtual class: Live, virtual classes allow you to enjoy the comfort of a guided class wherever you are, and open up the possibilities of classes at Green Lotus locations and with instructors that may not have fit into your schedule otherwise. Connection need not be physical or in-person to have value, and finding ways to stay connected is even more important when physical and in-person connection is limited.
Bring your practice to work or school: Don’t wait for “free time” to practice. Bring yoga, pranayama breath practices, and meditation to your workplace (or home workplace) or to school. Even a five-minute break is enough to practice a few Sun Salutations, a simple pranayama, or short meditation. Think of these times as your time to recharge your batteries.
Share the benefits of your practice with your family, your coworkers, your students, or your classmates. Our Wellness to the Workplace instructors can lead your group either in-person or remotely in mindful movement and other stress reduction techniques. Imagine the impact a few minutes of shared mindfulness or Chair Yoga practices could have on your team.
The not-so-gentle reminder of the Eight of Swords tells me that now, more than ever, I need to find time for my practice. Whether it is the communion of sangha at an in-studio class, a virtual class in my office or living room, or 10-minute break wherever I am, I can reclaim my calm mind and my spirit with my practice. Yoga Sutra 1:2 - Yoga chitta vritti narodha translates as “Yoga calms the fluctuating waves of the mind.” There is great truth in this, and great peace.
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