Grace

I first heard the word grace when I began my practice of yoga so many years ago.  There have been many different definitions that have come up over the years but I liked the acronym I got the other day from a friend.  I like it because not only did it resonate but it blew the doors open to so much more for me personally:

Gently * Release * All * Conscious * Expectations

This came at such a perfect time, as these OMS always do.  Just before I must relinquish all perceived control regarding legal matters involving my children.  Just moments before I make the decision on how deep to dig into all of this mess. And only hours before I walk in to share a yoga class designed to awaken others, when my own Self is exhausted.

Here’s what I’m learning about grace:

• Grace is not just releasing all conscious expectations – it’s about releasing the unconscious ones too.
• Grace is about relinquishing all patterns that keep you out of a high vibratory frequency.
• Grace is about freeing yourself from all projections and judgments you have about … everything.  Not just some things, but everything.  
• Grace is about navigating situations and circumstances from a place of equanimity.
• Grace is about coming up against strife, stress and angst and handling it with breath and Divine guidance. 

Because I believe that Grace IS the Divine.  Grace IS the breath of truth and it IS the light of love.  And that energy itself is infinite and uncontrollable.  It is something we cannot see, we cannot fix, and we cannot manipulate.  We can only BE in it … we can FLOW in it.  And we can quickly fall out of it the minute we try and control it. 

In fact, I believe that this human existence is a gift of multiple opportunities to continually practice flowing in and out of grace.  To consistently inquire about what is truth and what is not.  To always feel into what expands and elevates and what does not.

You are going to be tested, time and time again.  But my question and inquiry, as always, is how many breaths will it take you to get to that state?  Because you will fall out of flow. You will fall out of grace. The important piece to observe is how long it takes you to get back into that flow.

Every situation, circumstance and person along your path has the ability to drop you out of grace or elevate you.  And when you dropped out, which does happen,  remember (as quickly as possible) that this is an opportunity to rise above the lower level of being.  That maybe at one point, this situation, circumstance or person was vibrating along with you.  But now, with your learning and your teaching and your practice, your level of grace is different.  And your work is to continue at that level so at some point, this same situation will no longer even resonate with you. You won’t even notice it.

I liken this to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita and his battle with his “family”.  We are in battle with our ego and finding deeper meaning of the phrase, “connection with the Divine.”  It’s not just handed to us, we must work for it.  And grace, well, grace is the pathway to get there. 

And why would we want a relationship with the Divine?  Well, because that is ultimate truth in my opinion.  And honestly, the ultimate truth is so interesting when you put it in this context:

Ultimate truth is that we are all one.  There is only one of us here.

So then you have to ask yourself, who is really pulling you out of “grace”? 

You are.  Why?

Because on your deepest level, your soul wants resonance with the Divine, with God, with Spirit, with Source.  Call it what you like.  But your Highest Power wants you to vibrate in that frequency as often as possible.

Why?

So that the work you do on this planet, while you are here is in highest resonance with what is needed, with your purpose and with your karma. 

It’s a spiral cycle you know.  And it’s a holographic Universe.  We are all One. Period. 

Our intention is to flow in grace and make that a habit – an unconscious behavior so our thoughts, words, deeds and environment all resonate with what is our own personal karma or dharma.  This is what I believe is the work.  Go ahead, fall out of grace, it’s human. But remember you are a spiritual being living a human existence so please, make your way back to grace as quickly as possible.