Photo by Cynthia Sciberras
I was recently on Yuin Country in a ceremony with First Nations yoga teachers, in the spirit of reconciliation, connection, and oneness. My heart was opened as I listened to elder Jarrapam Jimpa; ‘Next time you’re at a beautiful place and just sitting there looking at the view, become the view ... look back at yourself. Then you’ll open to a new understanding of the beauty. That its all connected in each one of us’ What a privilege. What I wish to share with you is this message and gift of deep listening. We all have this ability, yet without stopping to feel it, the connection to our inner nature is never heard, and lost in the noise of life.
In the Ngan'gikurunggurr and Ngen'giwumirri languages of the Aboriginal peoples of the Daly River region (Northern Territory, Australia) this quality is called dadirri. It is inner, deep listening and quiet, still awareness.
"Dadirri recognises the deep spring that is inside us. We call on it and it calls to us. This is the gift that Australia is thirsting for. It is something like what you call contemplation". Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann.
Our recent yoga group practices have been guided by this embodied ability to 'feel' the listening from heart and mind, from a quiet place within. Do you feel the call to practice this? Do you need support to rest and feel the life within you? Coming to rest, giving expression to the flowing, dissolving energy associated with water, the element of winter. This is a dormant time of the year when deep changes take place. But most of us struggle to stop. That is the old normal. It's our calling to slow down. How might an imbalance in our water element show up? Water presides over the kidneys and bladder. When these organs are healthy, you will be able to adapt to situations and have the power to change because there's a strong sense of stability and security. In its weakened state, the kidney system will cause you to feel jumpy, weak-willed. You might experience fear, have nightmares, and lack mental balance, which results in a high degree of stress. A poor bladder system can make you feel insecure and resistant to change. Perhaps this is showing up as an uncomfortable lower back or weak ankles. Warm foods that are baked or stewed for a long time are ideal. Mushrooms, cabbages, cauliflower, and daikon support our bone structure, which is mediated by the kidneys. Soy-based products such as miso and tamari should be used to draw the body’s energies deep.
Are you connecting with this information? Reach out. Join our yoga family. We don't heal alone.
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