Beth Martens

These days every spiritual or self-help book is promising that if you do their seven deadly steps, that your life will forever be blissful.  Having been on a dedicated spiritual journey since I was 24, I can report from personal experience, that evolving the soul, through whatever means you may have discovered and LOVE, takes hard work and results in a lot of trouble.

For example, if you used to eat potato chips until you sunk into a junk food coma, an established yoga practice will make you acutely aware of how much your gut  really aches.  If you got stuck in dead end or even harmful relationships, with people who were trying to hold you back from growing, meditation will make you hear the voice inside you with painful clarity that is telling you, “Bad company is killing your soul!”  Even if you used your spiritual practice to vacate your bodily responsibilities like rest and exercise, it will eventually come full circle and might compel you with a nasty message in the form of a chronic illness – been there, to seriously take care.

What is happening here?  The emergence of that which is unknown to ourselves, about our own selves.  We just don’t see ourself, and without some kind of motivation, most people are happy to leave “well” or “ill” enough alone.  Ignorance is bliss, as long as you don’t want to feel whole, or feel that your life is truly worth living, that you are contributing something meaningful to the world and transforming your past (or even present) mistakes into others’ good fortune.

As the unknown emerges, we need to have a game plan.  Why?  Because our egos are already prepared, rather wired, for something else to happen….to kick you when you are “down.”  If you’re like me, as soon as I learn something huge about myself that I didn’t see and can’t control (because I can’t even see it), the automated response can be self abusive to say the least. I’ve even watched my son, having picked up things like calling himself “silly” (could be worse), or whacking himself in the head, rather than the more hopeful kind concern and attention up-on which we would thrive…

After a few years of daily meditation and study, I remember the first time I saw something huge about my personality, and way of behaving in relationships, right out in front of a spiritual “audience” in India, a community for whom I held a lot of respect.  So not only did I see my dysfunctional bling-bling, but everyone saw my dysfunctional bling-bling – and then here’s the potential kicker – LONG before I did.  Having contemplated this fact many times, and having seen the same pattern appear, I think it is safe to conclude that this is God’s way, that we don’t see ourself and everyone else does.   I believe this is not out of a cruelty, but rather a sense of the humour it also requires of us to have when we realize we are never going to grow without the knowledge that is inssid of us held and locked-down.  Why is it in a lock-down?  Perhaps because of our nasty past and collective human (or beyond?) experience.

WindSong Shadow Works is for this purpose, to create a safe and gentle homecoming for our self knowledge, for us to grow into our spiritual potential and to see ourself growing with a compassionate eye.  Using the tools of yoga, meditation and kirtan singing, Shadow Works is for yogis who are disillusioned by the self-help slogans that promise us ever-lasting happiness, and who want to feel real and whole, no matter what.  Our society is addicted to the “in with the good and out with the bad” philosophy, one I would support if it were even remotely possible.  Another expression that’s become popular – what you resist, persists.  And this is the most true thing one can learn about the unconscious, the more we invest in pushing away the things that we know will make us uncomfortable enough to grow, the more life will show up as our enemy (as if!) and haunt us to look deep within for the answers.

And as I mentioned, this exercise is not an excuse to punish ourselves and throw ourself back in the dungeon for being in the dungeon in the first place, rather this is an opportunity to see your(new)self with the same loving kindness you would show a new born.  Cooling mantras, inspired breathing and stretching it all out in the good company of people who are brave like you, and who do not want to live a tidy and predictable mediocrity, but rather want to thrive and feel like they’ve given and received their all.

And to conclude, I was just reminded about a wonderful quote by Howard Thurman that says, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come ALIVE.”  To fully come alive, we need to unleash the energy we use to keep our unconscious unconscious and kindly guide it to do something inspired, hopeful and helpful.

Title: WindSong Yoga Workshop, Shadow Works
Location: Louis Riel School Division in Winnipeg, MB
Link out: Click here
Description: Please visit the above link for the details!  Or type in www.yogacourses.ca and go to WindSong.
Start Time: 13:00
Date: 2011-02-27