My book has garnered a healthy dose of advice, tips and feedback — some useful, some not.  For today, I’m sharing a small letter I wrote in response to one letter I received.  It’s a summary of how I think about yoga in relation to religious traditions, as well as revealing some of my feelings about time — a force with which we must all contend, but a force that is especially poignant for those of us who must face the fact that time = money or lack-thereof = the survival of dreams or lack-thereof.

Dear [---],

No, no . . . you’re so so fine!  I’m not at all offended and sincerely appreciate your letter.  ”Write to [---]” has been on the to-do list since I received it, and my lack of response thus far is solely due to my “time problems.”  That’s how I term them, because that’s the closest way I’ve found to describe the sensation.  Time has been the biggest challenge of all in this self-employment venture — though, as you know, the money and the time go hand-in-hand.  I’ve adopted the attitude of doing what comes to me as being most pressing on any given day, balancing it all as well as I can in good conscience, and letting the rest go.  However, it has come to mean that both personal and business tasks without an immediate deadline or consequence attached get side-lined in favor of those that do.  This means I’ve had to be neglectful with much, which bothers me and isn’t comfortable, but which is just part of it.  I’m sorry the “write to [---]” item has kept getting bumped.

I wanted to wait to write until I could do so properly.  I have to say, though, that really sharing all I’d enjoy sharing on the matter will have to wait until another time.  I’ve received such a colorful variety of responses to my “book” about my business — on all ends of the spectrum — some in writing and some in person.  Writing a thoughtful reply to each is beyond the scope of my days at the moment.  However, in time I hope to communicate about some of the themes.  Your letter was one of the most heartfelt and thoughtful and raises worthy questions — questions I’ve been hoping to write about for some time.  I plan to by-and-by share some thoughts on the matter on my budding website.  The site was born this week, and is currently only an outline — though it’s ready and waiting for me to post some content!  www.beinglightness.com.

When I write, I will share some thoughts about how yoga is simply a tool — not a religion, or a god, or a replacement for God.  It’s a way to tune-in, connect, reach out, move beyond myself and touch the part of myself that is with God.  It can become a prayer that uses the whole body, not just the mind and thoughts.  It’s a prayer like breath is a prayer, like silence is a prayer.  I find yoga to be more about the breathe and silence than about the poses themselves.  I also find that, while yoga was most embraced in the East and in some cases incorporated into Eastern religions, it is not limited to that area or to those belief systems.  It’s a tool that’s as universally useful as . . . breath, silence, stillness, movement.  And it’s the kind of tool that can be a stretch, initially, for those of us raised in contexts that emphasize thoughts/words/ideas about God, purpose, love, prayer and human life . . . with less emphasis on finding that still small voice in the silence, the stillness, the movement, the “knowing” in your bones and the most quiet space at the end of a long exhale.

You raised many good questions and thoughts that are definitely also in the minds of others.  I’ll share more as I become able to invest time in some of those finer aspects — after I’m a bit less consumed with working out how to pay the bills and structure things so that it all fits into the 24-hour days alloted to this single human life!  Enough for now, it’s 1 a.m. and this day is over.

Zeus and Stowaway are blissfully content and at peace — and therefore wise beyond their years or stature.

Until next time, Kristine