You may have noticed the little suggestion box we keep on the table. It’s there to received ideas, requests, feedback, and anything you feel like sharing. These messages get shared with the entire team, yet remain anonymous.
Last week I found a very particular note; one that struck a deep cord within me. I picked it up, read it, smiled, and immediately tears flooded my eyes.
I usually take a picture of the notes and send them to all the teachers. This note in particular, after sharing it with the teachers, I decided to put in my pocket.
Every morning, when I wake up, I have one of two thoughts: “I’m so excited, Grounded is awesome!”, or “Dear Lord what have I done?”. I’m actually glad I get to feel the fear of uncertainty. I appreciate it for what it is: a temporary sensation, and nothing more.
This past week was one of those weeks in which the negative thoughts took a predominance over the encouraging ones, so the note came at a moment I truly needed it.
I brought it with me and I put it on my bedside table as a grounding tool for when those thoughts of fear take over. I’ve been reading it every morning as soon as I wake up. Regardless of how I’m feeling, Grounded is someone’s safe space and it is imperative I show up for them.
As Grounded was being created and we were all brainstorming about what we wanted it to represent and embody, one of the first words that got tossed around was inclusivity. I wanted to make sure no one would feel at Grounded the sense of terror I had felt at a different studio in town. Grounded needed to be a space where safety, inclusion, acceptance, and equality are an absolute given.
In yoga, the concept of Sarvajnatva talks about working for the well-being and liberation of all beings equally. It talks about an universal inclusivity that acknowledges all beings as equal in pursuit of the collapse of boundaries between self and others. In simple words, Sarvajnatva is a path towards deep connection and, ultimately, oneness.
There’s some sort of magic that takes place whenever we’re going through a rough moment and suddenly decide to focus our attention on others. This note does it for me. If I’m feeling scared about Grounded, I bring my attention to this anonymous author and my fears dissolve. I think of them, of their well-being, of their path. I feel the connection and the responsibility. Suddenly, the fear is gone and I’m motivated to keep going. It’s not a mechanism of distraction, it is a mechanism of connection. It is sarvajnatva.
I will probably never know who wrote it. It’s lovingly anonymous. This note, the way I interpret it, is on everyone’s behalf.
But if the author of the note happens to be reading this, I have a message for you: You have no idea how glad I am you are here.
A simple prompt to explore sarvajnatva:
I did this little exercise when I was in seventh grade. Our art teacher had tasked us with drawing ourselves. I think she was expecting a self-portrait. However, since all I can manage when it comes to drawing is stick figures, I decided to go with what’s always been my strength: words
So I drew words that explained me. In a way, this was a self-portrait.
The words I used were all proper nouns: I drew a network formed by the names of every single person in my life. All connected by different colors, and I drew my name (actually, the nickname my family gave me when I was a baby) right in the center.
So that’s your exercise. Grab some pen and paper, maybe colored pencils or markers, and get to work on your network of beings that make you feel like we are all one.
A Yoga pose to connect with sarvajnatva: Visrama Ardha Bhekasana (resting half frog pose):
Find a quiet spot and set a timer for three minutes. Lay down on a flat surface, belly down. Make it comfortable. Rest your head comfortably on your stacked hands, forearms, or a soft, thin prop. Keep one leg extended straight back along the floor. Bend the opposite knee out to the side, sliding or placing the knee and inner thigh outward in a half-frog alignment. Hold until the timer goes off, closing your eyes and breathing deeply. Change legs and reset the timer.