These Tears

These Tears 
Of Joy,
Of Thanks Giving,
Of Love,
I Let Them Fall.

Today I participated in Yoga Reaches Out at Empower Field House, Gillette Stadium along with more than 1,000 other yogis.  The money raised today went to support Off the Mat, Into the World and Boston Children's Hospital.  What I experienced today moved me greatly, even to tears.  As I sit here now, typing these words, I can still feel the energy of today resonating through me. 
Imagine sitting on your mat, taking a breath in - in unison with more than 1,000 others and a deep breath out - again, in unison with more than 1,000 others.  Now imagine, your eyes, closed, hands at heart center in prayer position, you inhale deeply and on the exhale you and more than 1,000 other beautiful yogis join in the sound of the universe, the sound of peace, the sound of Om.  Can you hear it?! Can you feel it!?  The energy of love, of unity, of respect ... sent out from you and all those around you into the world. This is where the tears come from, from an energy, an energy of love -  so strong and true that it cannot be ignored, it must be felt and acknowledged. 

And so these tears came ... these pure tears, that I allowed to flow forth without judgement, gave way for a release of tension in my shoulder that I had been experiencing.  I could feel the release of pain wash over me, as I lowered into child's pose and allowed the tears to quietly fall.  With another deep, conscious breath in and a cleansing sigh out, I felt the pain dissipate.
What brought on the tears?
Love did. Gratitude for all the love that I am surrounded by and filled with did.  Sean Corn - our mentor and yoga instructor for the event told us - while we stood tall in mountain pose - to bring someone to mind, a person in need of someone extra love perhaps, one near and dear to our hearts, who has impacted us in a tremendous way, helping us to be the person we are today and then to dedicate the next flow sequence in our practice to that individual.  And so it began, the tears and the joy as I thought of
ૐ my boyfriend who is preparing to journey out West to live next
ૐ my mom, standing next to me, strong and vulnerable, as she has and continues to live in truth and love
ૐ my Pepe, who is in a nursing home, living with dementia
ૐ my Mimi, his wife, and her strength and unconditional love
ૐ my sister, that I have the utmost respect for, always living true to her Being - one of the most Beautiful and radiant people I know
ૐ my brothers, whose antics bring such light, love and laughter with them wherever they are 
ૐ my great-grandfather, Gramp/Bumpa, who passed away years ago, but impacted my life forever
ૐ ... and the list continues, as people's faces and names kept coming up before my closed eyes.  How to pick just one?! - I simply could not and so the tears came.  I thought, "this is such a beautiful "problem" to have - to be loved by so many and to love so many that picking one is not possible". Just as they all have love for me, I have an unending amount of love for them.  And so I shed tears of pure, unadulterated joy, thanks giving, and love.  I inhaled love and exhaled love until love was all I felt, radiating through me and out of me into the world.  The physical tension-filled pain that I began practice with was no more.  The happy in my heart, bursted through, as soft tears rolling down my cheeks that soon transformed into a smile so big it made my cheeks hurt in the best of ways.
Sean Corne said that as yoga students and yoga teachers it is important to remember that ​

We are here to eradicate the tension so that we can show up and love.

If we all did this, if we lived out of love, solely and truly, instead of partially love and partially fear - which is natural, as it is part of the human condition, but imagine for a second that we lived only out of love and in a state of love - how truly wonderful the world would be.  How be-you-tiful the transformation of self and society would be and I believe it can be, it all starts with you and with me - with each of us, individually and together.  I am not alone in this belief, as Sean Corne spoke about a revolution being underway - a revolution starting from within - a revolution from the inside out - where we honor the divine light within ourselves and within all those around us, even those we do not yet know. 
Just imagine, sitting down, being able to feel yourself  supported by (the) mother Earth, bringing one hand over your heart and the other hand gently over the one placed atop your heart, now imagine breathing in the energy of love and breathing out the energy of love into the world.  I invite you to try it and if you have a chance to attend Yoga Reaches Out or any other radiant event where you breathe, move and  connect with a sea of other yogis. -- I promise you that it is an experience that you will not soon forget ૐ Peace, Love and Light, Namaste.

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