18/08/2021
Our compassion can make us paralysed. Use your heart and your body to confront that pain, then act....
YOGA OFF THE MAT
Watching the scenes of Kabul airport over the past few days has had me in tears.
I feel the fear and desperation of the Afghani people in my body.
I can’t look away.
I can’t pretend it’s not happening.
Yoga isn’t just a personal practice to get fit or flexible.
Yoga applies off the mat.
“ As meditation deepens and self-will becomes less, we come to regard everyone as our own; if they have problems, it is our privilege to live for helping them to solve those problems. When at last we regard the entire world as our family, we will be enabled to draw upon the vast reservoir of love and wisdom lying unsuspected in all of us.” Eknath Easwaran
I think any woman or woman aligned person would understand the existential fear that Afghans, especially women and girls are feeling right now.
If you’re feeling it too, here’s what you can do.
Firstly, it’s important to feel our feelings, even if the source is from across the globe.
Find a way to express and release your anger, rage, grief and fear.
Move your body, punch a pillow, cry or yell at the terror of this humanitarian crisis.
Then once we’ve cleared our own energy we can act. Not from a place of chaotic emotion but from a place of channeled purpose.
The upside of anger is that it inspires action.
The upside of grief is that it clarifies what’s important to us.
The upside of fear is that it increases focus and awareness.
If you feel inspired to channel your emotions into something positive, here’s what you can do:
Write to the Immigration Minister the Hon. Alex Hawke MP and request that Australia increases its refugee intake on humanitarian grounds.
Write to the Minister for Women and Minister for Foreign Affairs the Hon. Marise Payne MP and request that Australia increase its refugee intake on humanitarian grounds.
Sign this petition
https://www.change.org/p/the-hon-scott-morrison-mp-prime-minister-of-australia-australia-must-provide-humanitarian-support-to-afghans?signed=true
Donate to charities like the UNHCR
https://www.unrefugees.org.au/?utm_code=OAWBNDO002&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=AU_PS_EN_general_UNHCR_CoreBrand&dclid=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1pG1nPW48gIVzRErCh11GAlHEAAYASAAEgKtVfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Monica xx
