by Mei Lai Swan | Oct 31, 2014 | Uncategorized
Yogis love change. This is how we do it: we get more flexible, stronger, more calm, more grounded, more open-hearted, and more alive. We stretch and we grow, we breathe and we flow, we accept all the challenges, the successes, the failures… and we glow. It’s the sweet glow of transformation, and if you’ve ever done it, then you know exactly what I mean. Most of us don’t know why, but we do it – and it works.
And then one day it starts to spill over the edges of our own skin. There’s something about that inner glow that just can’t be contained. Call it presence, compassion, love, passion, delight… it’s the warm and fuzzy bedrock of human connection, and it’s fostered through the practices and perspectives that we call yoga. Almost without realizing it, it’s suddenly not enough just to want a good life for ourselves: we also want it for others. But where do we start?
Or maybe you’re the other type of changemaker who knows just where to start: an activist, a passionate volunteer, a social entrepreneur, an eco-hero or an outspoken advocate for justice and peace. Creating change in the world around us, but sometimes burning out, not taking the time to rest and be nourished, to look within, to be peace rather than fighting for it…
The beauty is, at some point the inner and the outer have to meet, and the spark of change that happens at this sweet spot, 
where balance is struck and opposites merge and unite, burns brightest of all. New-age speak or not, life is holographic, fractal magic: the macro and the micro are in essence one and the same. So what we do – inside or out – matters.
It’s this point of union that I love most. It’s here that a changemaker becomes someone who weaves real transformation born of immense heart and immense intelligence, with inner and outer integrity, with the wisdom of knowing that our own happiness is bound up in the happiness of others, who believes in and sees clearly the impact of their own actions – and is not afraid to get out there, do it, and inspire it in others.
If this rings true for you, let this be a call to action, a call to adventure. Because that’s what life is, if you embrace it.
For inspiration, check out these communities and projects: www.changemakers.org * www.offthematintotheworld.org * www.theglobalwomensproject.com.au * www.birthforhumankind.org * https://www.socialtraders.com.au/
Or better yet come do it together:
by Mei Lai Swan | Apr 26, 2014 | Uncategorized
LIGHT THE SPARK!
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Gandhi
Some of us want to do something to make ourselves feel better. We want to be fitter, stronger, happier, more successful, more vibrant, more alive. Absolutely, yes please.
Some of us want to do something to make the world a better place. We want to help others, create peace, share love, make beauty, create social change and justice. This is the path of compassion, of purpose, of connection.
Now sometimes we do one, and forget about the other. There are many who improve their own circumstances at the expense of others, or who don’t give a second thought to those less fortunate. And there are those who do ‘good’ to simply to prove themselves, or who are martyrs who forget to nourish themselves and end up burnt out and sick.
Image courtesy of Africa Yoga Project www.africayogaproject.org
But ultimately we are both an individual who deserves happiness, health, and abundance, and part of a collective being (Humanity-Earth), which when it is cared for, harmonious, and thrives, gives back to each and every one of us.
Through being involved in both yoga and social/environmental change for over 15 years, I’ve discovered that yoga is a path that ultimately leads to both – in a deeply authentic way.
Even if you start on the path of yoga purely to make yourself feel better, soon enough, the benefits should start to awaken you to the impulse to connect and serve life – for the benefit of all beings, yourself included.
But for this, your practice needs to be committed and authentic, your understanding needs to be clear and intelligent, and of course it helps to find guidance, inspiration, and support on the path!
So I combined my passions into a 4-week workshop series called Light The Spark! The idea is to help you deepen and commit to your own purposeful yoga practice, understand the connection between personal practice and ‘service’ (seva) for the world, receive guidance and inspiration, and connect authentically with others who are on the path.
We do this through meditation, asana, philosophy, creative and intuitive practices, and group discussion. And you’ll also be supported to develop a daily practice. It is a practice for personal transformation, and a practice for social transformation. It’s for both for already committed or aspiring yogis, and also for ‘changemakers’ who are curious but might not have started on the inner journey yet.
If this sounds like something for you, please get in touch! Round two of the workshop is starting this coming Saturday 3rd May at Gertrude Street Yoga Studio, 1.30-4.30pm, and it would be wonderful to have you there for the journey!
In love, service, and gratitude,
Mei Lai xo
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