I'm incredibly excited to finally be opening up a web space! I've been meaning to do this for quite awhile, but I guess conditions weren't yet sufficient. This endeavor comes at a time of many changes in my life: I'm preparing to move to the Seattle, WA to begin a PhD program in Social Welfare, I'm moving there with my partner, and that's not to mention the whole host of other things that come with moving your life clear across the country. Many things are ending and many things are beginning.
Through it all, I continue to come back to practice. Yoga and Meditation have been the cornerstones of my life during the last 5 years, and I'm worried about what moving across the country means for my practice. I've done some preliminary research and have found two possible new practice communities, and a new possible yoga teacher...but they of course won't be the same ones I've been used to. To spend so much time developing relationships, roots, roles, merely to see them end feels hard. My sangha (spiritual community) put out an invitation to practice the Five Remembrances every morning for two weeks, and I decided to participate, knowing they would help to ground me in the present moment, in my life exactly as it is in this moment. The practice has been helping. For those who may not know, the Five Remembrances are: 1) I am of the nature to grow old. I cannot escape old age. 2) I am of the nature to have ill-health. I cannot escape ill-health. 3) I am of the nature to die. I cannot escape dying. 4) All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them. I cannot keep anything. I come here empty-handed and I go empty-handed. 5) My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand. This weekend I'll be headed to West Virginia to practice at the Claymont Court Retreat Center with my dharma teacher, Anh Huong, and her partner Thu Nguyen. The name of the retreat is "Cultivating the Mind of Love". Probably the right one to go to, huh? -Maria
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About the Author
Maria Rodriguez, MSW is a Yoga and Buddhist practitioner. She currently studies in the Iyengar Yoga method, as well as Zen Mindfulness Practice in the tradition of the Venerable Thich Nhat Hahn. She lives in Philadelphia, PA with her Rat Terrier/Lhasa Apso mix Manjushri (He who brings great understanding). ArchivesCategoriesAll Anxiety Beginning Bhagavad Gita Buddhist Practice Buddhist Practice Meditation Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche Ending Life Changes Practicing With Emotions Quotes Relationships Silence The Five Rememberances Witnessing |