love

There is an energy of change moving through all of us. You can feel it in the air, and see in those around you. I know I’ve been feeling the call for deeper connection to spirit, to my path, and to my practice. Change is not always a pretty thing, sometimes it is harsh, visceral and can be difficult.

I’ve been going through my own changes over the past few weeks, but thinking back on some of these changes, the seeds were planted years ago. My life is constantly evolving, and I love this process. The one thing that I do notice about my life are the things that remain. There are constants that make up my purpose and are guideposts on my path. Those constants keep me grounded in moments of change, and as an experiential learner my changes usually are more visceral.

A few days ago I made the decision to leave the yoga studio I’ve been teaching at for over a year and a half. It was a difficult decision, but one that needed to be made. I feel that my life is transitioning quickly. My guides, guardians, souls, angels have been speaking to me with greater frequency, and the message they have been repeating over and over again is: Trust.

Trust does not come easy. This is evident in any yoga class. We often struggle to trust our bodies within the asanas (postures). We have to learn to trust our instructors, trust our mats, and even trust that the floor will indeed catch us if we fall. We have to trust that the breath will sync up with the movements, and that we’ll be able to make it through the more challenging postures. Trust does not come easy, but it comes. Eventually we forget that we did not have trust, it becomes part of the process, our minds become more at ease… and then we get introduced to new postures, ideas, and concepts that challenge us.. yoga is an action of magick, and extension of trust.

Challenge helps us to identify trust, to encounter her and to sit with difficulty. Letting go of one part of our lives allows space for new things to enter, and that is where I am finding myself. I am going be dedicating a lot of time to creating a solid yogawitch.com community and engaging the unfolding path before me. There is fear, but that is okay. I trust that what is opening up for me is the most positive and most powerful, because I trust my soul unconditionally.

In the next few weeks I’ll be posting videos, meditations, poetry, spells, and much more. I also want to hear from all of you! If there are things that you’d like to see me discuss, videos that you’d like to see, and even if you just want to say hi! You can contact me via this blog, or at: theyogawitch@gmail.com

What is trust to you? What is changing in your experience that causes you to sit with/challenge trust?

As always-

You are Loved.

You are Beautiful.

You are Divine.

Namaste.

Michael A Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.soulinteraction.com

www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill, An it harm none do what ye will

Ahimsa: the law of reverence for, and nonviolence to, every form of life

The words above from the Wiccan Rede really sum up the yogic principle of ahimsa. Ahimsa is non-violence towards any living being. One of the beautiful things about nature based religions are the built-in reverence for the earth, the elements and for well.. nature.

Many yogis extend ahimsa to their plates by observing a vegan or vegetarian diet (This is something that I will be going into in-depth in future posts). It is one of the first principles that many first time yoga class participants will hear about. Ahimsa is also extended to mean not competing with others in yoga class, allowing yourself to be okay just where you are in your practice.

I want to take this a bit further. When we discuss the application of harming none, we often speak in reverence to our practice. Yogis being yogis try to do no harm in their yoga pursuits. Yoga Witches are cautious to do no harm in our craft… but how often do we forget to take this beyond our practice.

In this fast paced world it can be hard to remember to extend kindness to all of those around us. As we enter into the holiday season I’ve been pushed by many hurried shopper on the metro trying to make it to the next big sale, and often I catch myself after the I’ve called them a name in my mind. Ahimsa is bringing awareness to our thoughts as well as our actions, our sense of being as well as our sense of crafting.

Taking it deeper, we have to be kind to ourselves. It’s often the part of doing no harm that is truly forgotten. We might remember to not say something mean to a loved one, to not allow our energy to be reactionary, but there are times when we say unkind things to ourselves. We often forgive others, but not ourselves. We have to remember that we are beautiful souls living a human experience. Our many imperfections are what make us perfect. We beat ourselves up for minor things, we hold things in our hearts that bind us. Learning to love ourselves unconditionally is the lesson that ahimsa brings to us.

Take a moment to reflect a time when you were harsh with yourself.
Now breath into that moment and extend love to your heart center.

You are Loved. You are Beautiful. You are Divine.

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

Bhakti Witch

Witch – Warrior – Poet

Learning to Trust

The Ahimsa of Witchcraft: Embracing Kindness