What is Yoga? | Your Instructors | Note from Robin | Featured Articles | Archived Notes

Sraddha; A Heart at Rest - April 1999

There's a word in sanskrit, sraddha, that translates as something akin to "faith". Of course, faith from a Western perspective has connotations of some sort of irrational belief system, based on the word or experience of someone else. To a yogic or eastern mind, faith is a very real phenomenon, it is grounded in your own life experience. As my teacher puts it, "Sraddha is where your heart is most at rest. It's the acknowledgement of what supports you and gives you confidence to live your life in accordance with your dharma, or sense of purpose."

Sraddha, has been nourishing me these past few months, and as l look to the travels and transitions ahead, I find solace in this undercurrent of faith that feeds me the confidence to proceed with an understanding of my purpose, my dharma as a student and teacher of yoga.

In opening the second studio in Issaquah, I can only feel a sense of awe and gratitude at the way the universe has supported me at every step of the way. From the fledgling of an idea last spring, to it's realization now, in its new home at 660 NW Gilman Blvd., I have encountered nothing but open hearts and open doors. It's as if the path was paved before I even began.

It's a curious feeling, and a relatively new one for me, whose first words were something akin to "MY BYSELF!", to recognize how much more can be accomplished by inviting the help and support of others. The more I admitted my ignorance, or feelings of being overwhelmed, the more education I received from experts in the fields of business, accounting and law. My colleagues in Seattle offered the wisdom of their experience in running yoga studios, guiding my path so I needn't trip as they did over technicalities. My vision grew as my understanding grew, and without the know-how of my multitude of advisors, I could not be standing at this precipice, ready to fly.

Nothing in my life has confirmed my sense of sraddha more than this experience. In the same way, nothing has reduced my self-importance more completely. According to Krishnamacharya, the "father" of viniyoga, the root poison for stress stems from our "ME-NESS", that pervasive self-importance that causes us to think, "It's all about and for ME."

Although I have certainly had the stress-full experience of being preoccupied with, "Why things happen to ME?," and "How can I make it better for ME?" I can't say I've ever had such a profound connection with NAMO NAMAHA, or surrender of my self.

Overall, this adventure has been exhilarating, educational and expansive. Many words describe it, yet stress isn't even close to the top of the list. That may sound strange, (isn't opening a new business ALWAYS stressful?) Many times I've found myself marveling at how "at rest" my heart has been through it all. I can only say it's because I'm clearly not working alone. On a concrete level, as I've already implied, many are those that have volunteered hours of time and invaluable advice. Beyond that, I've felt the Universe keeping the wind at my back.

And for that, I am grateful. Grateful for the teachings, the practice, the support, the guidance that has brought yoga into my life. Grateful to my family for being encouraging and patient through long distracted hours. Most importantly, I am grateful to my teacher, Gary Kraftsow, for awakening sraddha within me and helping me to discover my dharma.

I hope the new studio meets your needs and expectations. As a staff, we have tried to create an exciting and balanced program to serve many factions of the Issaquah, eastside community. In the spirit of sangha, it's our intention that The Yoga Barn be a place where people feel safe to explore their wholeness, their health and their faith. Let us know how we're doing.

Namaste,

The Yoga Barn, Inc.
Robin Rothenberg, Certified Yoga Instructor
660 NW Gilman Blvd., Suite C6, Issaquah, WA  98027
Studios located in both Issaquah and Fall City
Phone: 425.427.0038  -  Fax: 425.427.0613
E-mail: info@yogabarn.com  -  Web: www.yogabarn.com

Copyright © 1997 - 2007, The Yoga Barn, Inc. All rights reserved.