and so soon new things come
These blue poetry trees are still enjoying the feeling of sun, the rain and wind in their leaves — but they sense changes in this late summer time. They know the season and its edges. They are feeling their roots in nourished connections to the ground, beginning to pull their energy into storage, soon to drop what does not suit the seasons to come.
I too am nourished, entering this liminal time after a joyful three-day bardo retreat with Anam Thubten of the Dharmata Foundation. The bardo is a concept from Tibetan buddhism, most famously brought to the west in a 19th century translation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead. This text is used in rituals of death in Tibet, and describes the passage between dying, death, and rebirth. But that is a too-narrow definition of bardo.
In the Ningma tradition of Anam Thubten’s lineage, bardo can be understood like a season with edges. It is a span of time, or state of awareness, that has it’s own qualities, and those qualities are different from before, and different from after.
In this teaching, there are bardos of living, of dreaming, of sleeping — and also of dying, of death, and optionally, rebirth. The practice pays careful attention to transitions in states of consciousness, and the texts map these in detail. I was extra excited to learn about bardos of dream, sleep, and meditation, and look forward to practicing this more. These teachings resonate so beautifully with kriya yog and experiences in yoga nidra, and meditation, and trance.
As Anam Thubten taught it, the heart of this teaching is this: every bardo offers an opportunity to wake up. And if you miss this chance, there will be another, and another, and another…Here is the relief. So many chances!
On this new moon and as we near the Autumn Equinoxe, I am looking forward to my fall teaching schedule, which will again include three weekly rope wall classes, and the gorgeous sunset reset / restore on Fridays. Soon it will be time for candles again…
AND…a New Class!
I am elated to announce a NEW weekly meditation at Mosaic Yoga Studio on Tuesdays at 6pm. The first session will be on September 26, 2023.
I am offering a small discount if you sign up for the first six sessions with me. If you hold a membership or class passes at Mosaic, they also apply to this class — in that case, please book with Mosaic.
Read more about my offerings and approach here.
