The Hidden Gifts of Our Current Crisis

By Nubia Teixeira

Making peace with the elements within. Making peace with the elements without.
— T.Y.S. Lama Gangchen Rinpoche

When I first heard this teaching from my Tibetan Guru 23 years ago, it touched me so deeply, and it added a deeper layer of healing and meaning to my own Yoga sadhana. 

Today this awareness is so relevant to our global situation. 

Our beautiful world is in crisis, and we are experiencing this crisis to the level of uncertainty of our survival, of fearing our death, and of distancing from one another.

Hopefully this is also a wake up-call for us to refocus, revalue, and reclaim our place on this benevolent planet of ours as humble and caring humans who are dependent on Mother Nature’s mercy (elements). Our planet can only keep existing with the support and cooperation of one another.

Coronavirus made her way to the White House and to our homes. She is in cities, airplanes, and in the very air we all breathe and share.

This virus is taking the role of a spirit-teacher, a healer-balancer, and eye opener-guide into the reality of our vulnerabilities and of our powers.

We had to come to this critical point to begin the journey of betterment as human beings by learning how to relate to Nature, to other creatures of Nature, and to other humans of our global family with more love, more care, and much more respect.
 

How to heal the inner elements within?

The element of ether provides space for all the other elements to exist. The nature of our physical body is to be healthy if we provide the space for these compositional elements to balance each other on their own in our inner space.

The element of ether is expressed via sound, through the wind, and with our breath. Pranayama and Mantra are the best medicine right now. Using the medial of the vibrational sounds of the mantras can support us with clearing our minds and hearts from our own thoughts and from old negative impressions. Mantra and Pranayama can become a shield of protection and the best medicine for this time of uncertainty and despair.

We are being asked by this virus to give each other a little extra space. We are being forced to take some extra time to dedicate to strengthening our immune systems and to focus on our own healing. This is a gift.

We could use this extra personal time that is being given to us by this crisis to develop creative and resourceful insights into how we can sustain our lives in a more balanced and relaxed way in the near future.

This virus is also providing Mother Nature Herself some space to resource, renew, and reforest, as our “predator-leaders” are having to put their focus on this emergency (hopefully) and being shown that no one is immune to “Nature’s revenge,” and that She is the main global leader.

As this virus took away from many of us all “our ground” and the means to work to gain material and financial sustenance, let’s try to use this time positively and faithfully to work towards our spiritual and emotional development.

We are all dependent on the health of our environment and on the restoration of our planet. We are all dependent on the mental health, the emotional strength, and the spiritual awakening of every human being.

Let’s spend some more time breathing in light and hope, and breathing out sound and good vibrations.

Let’s use our time, our life force, and our life span to consciously act more positively and to consciously impact in a positive way the lives of the people around us.

Let’s use this time of stress and deprivation to consciously be more peaceful, kind, and generous.
 

Author, yogini, teacher trainer, and Odissi dancer Nubia Teixeira has devoted herself to teaching different aspects of yoga for almost 30 years. Perceiving yoga as a healing art, Nubia's refinement and unique style overflows with sacred meaning and heartfelt inspiration. Nubia leads workshops, teacher training.

Nubia’s book, Yoga and the Art of Mudras, is a guided journey into the alchemy of asana (yoga pose) and mudra (symbolic hand gesture). In this book, she fuses her passion for yoga and dance with her love for bhakti (devotion). The result is a unique and contemporary yoga system that encompasses all three healing arts.

Click here to visit Nubia’s website. You’ll find more helpful tips and chanting practices on Nubia’s YouTube channel.