Grace Always Is: Detroit, DoYouYoga, Parvati Magazine and More

Namaste,
I am back from a week spent in Amma’s presence in Detroit. Time in the presence of the Satguru is beyond words and always inspiring. As I look back to last year at this time, I perfectly resonate with what I shared then:
In the presence of a satguru – a fully realized master, one who is beyond ego – we are graced with an opportunity to see our ego in action. Out of habit, even when with the guru, we attempt to engage with the world in our usual way – getting our wants fulfilled and perpetuating our limited beliefs so we feel solid and important as “me”. But this time, with no-thing with which to engage in the ego’s dance, we are left face to face with our own limited perceptions. We are graced with an opportunity to witness the ways in which we perpetuate our own suffering. Through presence, we can choose to let go of our self-perpetuated illusions and return to the wholeness that always has been. You can read more about this at Always Within Love’s Embrace.
My time this year with Amma was about deepening my sense of trust in the effervescent life force that is continually arising. I am finding subtler ways in which I still resist the moment and try to make it into what the limited “I” wants it to be, rather than softening to receive the full perfection of what is.
I have experienced deep peace in realizing that I don’t need to try to find something that already exists. Grace always is. Love always is. All I have to do is practice deep relaxation in a state of profound receptivity and I settle into a force so much greater than anything I could manufacture by my own limited will. I have found this so freeing and energizing. I look forward to sharing more about this here as it unfolds over the coming months. This is especially timely as I prepare for the big release of my upcoming music video and tour for the single “I Am Light”.
As holiday chaos seems to descend around this time of year, it is easy to get caught up into thinking you must buy more, do more, be more, in order to be happy. It is important to give yourself the time within the seeming rush to settle into the unconditional love and support that I repeatedly find with Amma, and that we all always have from the universe. I share the reality of this love in a recently published article at Do You Yoga:
We often hear the phrase “I’ve got your back” from people expressing support and encouragement to others. But there is a deeper truth to this phrase that goes beyond friendships. It points to the unswaying support that we all have from the universe itself. As a yogi and meditator who has gone through an extraordinary healing process after months of paralysis from a severe spinal injury, I feel a strong personal affinity for the phrase “I’ve got your back”.
Please read more at DoYouYoga. At this time the post is for DoYouYoga members only (membership is free and easy to set up!), but if enough people read, share and comment on it, it may be published for everyone. So please do check it out so that everyone can benefit!
To help you feel relaxed and centered as we move swiftly towards the end of 2015, you will be happy to know that the latest Parvati Magazine is live! This month features some of the best articles from 2015. It is a great opportunity to catch up on the juicy articles you might have missed, or to dive deeper into an article you skimmed before. We create Parvati Magazine to be rich, lasting and re-readable. Enjoy!
The UN Climate conference, COP21, is beginning this week in Paris. As I write on Sunday, the day has been full of demonstrations across the world by concerned citizens. Parvati.org members joined marches in Toronto and in Ottawa today to raise awareness of the urgency to implement MAPS, the Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary. Here are a few glimpses!

Above is Parvati.org at Parliament Hill in Ottawa amidst the high-energy crowd of 25,000. Our representative, Karen, told us, “The turnout was great, and I had help from a few people in carrying the banner. The banner was also really well done, and attracted photos and questions about MAPS.  All in all, a success!”.

Here is Parvati.org at Queen’s Park in Toronto. In keeping with a call to shine light, we decorated the banner with sparkling lights. Uttama, our research coordinator, told us, “Joy and I were a hit with our lighted banner today at the Climate March in Toronto! Many people wanted their picture taken in front of the banner! The first person we met was Stephen who asked, “Hey! Are you from that Parvati organization?” No kidding! An estimate of about 1,500 people turned out in Toronto. An enthusiastic and gentle crowd. We got petition signatures and had fun.”
We got more signatures for our seismic testing petitions at these events. If you have not already signed, you can do so at http://parvati.org/arctic-ocean/
Stay tuned for the MAPS petition coming soon. All world leaders must come together to establish the Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary to stop all natural resource exploitation in the Arctic Ocean north of the Arctic Circle. Protecting this vulnerable ecosystem is a non-negotiable.
And finally, I would like to share some praise for my YEM: Yoga as Energy Medicine DVD from Rachel Koontz of Alive in the Fire.
“Wow! Parvati is such a gifted and mesmerizing teacher… one of my favorite aspects to her teachings is the way she draws in energetic movement and lines of energy. She’ll help you become more aware of the subtle intricacies of the practice. Each routine is incredibly revitalizing and healing. Great DVD.” Read the full post at Alive in the Fire.
To find out more about YEM or get your own copy, please visit my Yoga page. If you manage a yoga blog or publication and would like to review YEM for your readers, please get in touch!
Until next week,
Love yourself.
Love others.
Love our world.
We are ONE Earth family.
Namaste,
Parvati