I came across some notes from my first yoga philosophy teacher. Most of it I couldn’t read, because he talked fast and everything out of his mouth was so inspiring that I tried to scribble it all down quickly. But I could read this quote:
“Certainty is the greatest adversary to greatness.”
He talked about how when we walk around thinking we are the most enlightened of anyone, we create a feeling of disconnectedness and separateness for ourselves.
But he taught that if we walk around thinking we are “Abuddha” – not fully awake – we end up trying to understand ourselves and each other without judgment. This of course invites a feeling of contentedness to others.
I also came across this quote that I love:
“Karma is not enough. Greatness requires intervention.”
Because in addition to the contentedness we experience by letting ourselves be confused about life, when we allow others to see our confusion, we often receive wise input. And this input is often just what we need to clear the fog and let the light of our inner wisdom shine through.
I remember how for a long time my yoga teacher came by while I was in Savasana and moved my head a little. They say Savasana is the most vulnerable pose, because our bellies are not protected at all. I felt this way and thought she was just being really picky at first, but I decided to ask her about it.
My teacher explained that moving toward our center opens up our greatest potential to awareness. I then realized that in every picture of me, my head was tilted over to the right. Discovering this was the beginning of the process for me of understanding some deep body misalignments and challenges, and in many ways it helped me to “get my head on straight.”
But the process itself was healing. When we remain isolated, we can’t access the fullness of who we are. When we are “going it alone,” we are good at planning and other linear tasks that require the more masculine side of us.
When we open to receive from others, wisdom flows between us. This is the power of the Divine feminine: it is said that the best things come from our connection to each other.
So, I’m thinking greatness comes from connection to others; the flow of deep wisdom and a feeling of being supported as we try and figure out how to follow it.
And I’m giving confusion a go. I think.
