Living Yoga

Obama’s historic win last Tuesday reminded me of my teacher training. A little over four years ago I was in the midst of my yoga teacher training when George W. Bush won his second presidential election. As a woman born and raised in a diverse California city, now living in NYC, an artist, actress, vegan, moderately feminist, and a yogini…there should be no doubt that I’m absolutely liberal. Most of us in that training were, too, and in a deep funk after learning that we’d have Bush and could expect war in Iraq for another four years. I was having a really hard time accepting it and wanted all the votes in the too-close-to-call red states recounted.

Our senior yoga instructor at the time, who had at least 20 years of yoga practice under her belt, was discussing with us how the practice of yoga has helped her to let go. Letting go as in not getting stressed about situations that are out of her control and continuing to live her life as she is meant to. She said, (and I’m going to seriously misquote her on this because I don’t remember her exact words but it was to the effect of) “For example, this President we have now. It is what it is. There is some higher force that guided him into office and there is some reason that he is to be our President right now. And it’s important to just accept that.”

On November 4th, 2008, as I was watching Obama’s first speech and shedding tears of joy I remembered what she said. And she was so right. Bush’s disappointing (for many) second win, the war, and the economic downturn inspired so many Americans to become passionate about voting in 2008, to elect a president that will make a positive change and to embrace the first African American president. Had John Kerry won in 2004, things would have turned out very differently last week and there was a positive conclusion to Bush’s eight years in the White House.

Whether you’re a yogini or not, sometimes all we can do is have faith that when something doesn’t go as planned and it is out of our control, to let go and accept that it is what it is. Trust that there will be and seek a positive result in the end that is ever guiding us towards peace. Namaste.

Thanks to libertyfilmfestival.com for the photo.