śrī, abundance

I have been teaching yoga for 26 years. This is a journey that is continuously unfolding. This reminds me of a comment my teacher made about the facilities of the Ashram she lives in. She said how everything looked great but there was also room for improvement. As far as the facilities go, she said this was a good sign. To me this meant that the community was still thriving and growing.

Another facet of this beautiful word śrī that I have been focusing on is abundance. This is another meaning that is more commonly given to this term. The abundance that śrī refers to though is not one of accumulation. Śrī as abundance is the fullness of life expressed through continuous growth, creativity, and especially, the capacity to nourish further flourishing. In this way śrī as abundance unfolds continuously. It is dynamic, never stagnant.

Śrī is not about accumulation so the abundance it refers to can be experienced by anyone whether it looks like you have accumulated a lot or not. One can be a beginner yoga practitioner, or someone who has been practicing for a while, they both can experience this kind of abundance when they realize that there is still room to flourish. The awareness that there is more to discover is itself abundance.

I look forward to seeing you in class this week.

Breathe easy.

Blessings.

Jorge Nihāl