The Lila-Dance of Yoga

There is a sanskrit word that I try to remember in my daily yoga classes – “lila.”

It suggests a playfulness toward your practice that extends to your daily living. A lightness that recognizes the dance between different energies, in your body and around you.

This is different from a cynical, mocking or irreverent “fool’s” approach, which arises and produces bitterness or disappointment.

“Lila” is seeing the swirls of change around you and not being swept away by them. Actually enjoying and participating in the “dance.”

A yoga practice can sometimes turn into just another obligation on our To Do List. I know, cause sometimes I have to do some serious convincing of myself to go to a yoga class!

But what if we can genuinely look forward to what will happen during that hour or two?� What if we are amused by the way our bodies have “minds” of their own!� What if we really recognize that breath is all – and wonder where will it take us next?� What if, within that yoga session, we experience a memory or a vision or nothing, as if it’s a whole dance in itself?�

The simplicity of yoga is remarkable – and so I’ll play and dance, experiencing “lila” however it occurs.