Yoga Journal - Yoga Buzz

We live in a universe of infinite possibility.

That’s why last night, along with 80,000 other enthusiasts, I did the wave in a football stadium and swished an American flag through the air for the first time since the Memorial Day parade in the 3rd grade.

As an American, as a yogini, and as an ordinary person who believes in the immortal goodness of the human spirit, I went to Invesco Field last night to participate in history.

My journey there was indeed a pilgrimage- riddled with doubt, despair, dehydration, blisters, sunburn, resilience, and, of course, some raw truffles that I smuggled with me from the Oasis.

At 3pm, under the hot afternoon sun (with no “liquids” in tow per security restrictions), I humbly took my place at the end of a labyrinthine line, which snaked for 1.5 miles through parking lots and fields, under highways, and up and down steep ravines. OK, so that last part is a bit of an exaggeration, but it did get pretty hairy there for a while.

Yes, we had been warned, but my peeps and I could have never imagined such a line in our wildest dreams. We looked at one another, the same question running through all of our minds: “ Should we turn back?”

The big question. The one that we all must ask whenever called to move beyond our comfort zone and trust in a feeling even when we don’t know what the outcome will be.

No. We cannot turn back, we concurred.

Something was stirring deep within us. Something was stirring in everyone who stood in that line for hours on end. What was it? A renewed faith in possibility. A remembrance of the power to change. An unprecedented bridging of worlds—whether that’s yoga and politics, republicans and democrats, or the young and the elderly. Something or someone was sewing one fabric out of many threads once again.

That’s why we all stood in that line together, uncertain of when or if we would ever actually get into the stadium. We were mayors and CEOs, elderly women with canes, those who tried to cut and those who didn’t (of course it crossed through everyone’s mind at some point).

Two hours into our “own personal hell,” as my sister called it, things started to move. We were actually walking, quickly. We were covering more ground. Hope rekindled. Police officers appeared on the scene to distribute free water. They actually smiled. Someone played uplifting music; others began to dance. Soon enough, just after 6pm, I breezed through the security tent and found my seat. Pause.

Then I felt it. I felt the yoga. Through the tears as they came to my eyes and through the hair that stood up on my arms, I felt the deep knowing that I was in the presence of, and in participation with, something very massive, very beautiful, very inexplicable, and oh so very simple.

Barack Obama took the stage a couple of hours later. We all silenced. We all listened.

A true yogi, he stood grounded, humble, gracious, and confident.

“We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we will always walk ahead. We cannot turn back,” he urged under the starry Denver sky.

Thank you Barack, for risking to believe. And for acting on it.

Thank you everyone who was present last night for your openness and perseverance.

Thank you to anyone and everyone who cares about basic human dignity, cooperation, and kindness.

But mostly, thank you to my own heart, that which will never let me turn back.

Comments

Wow, what a picture of hope--a pregnant woman with an Obama sticker on her belly. Beautiful. :-)

Posted by: Melissa | August 30, 2008 03:59 PM

I can only hope, for your baby and mine that man becomes our next President! I was so moved just to listen. I cannot imagine experiencing the energy there!

Posted by: Marnieve | August 31, 2008 05:03 AM

Great post. I watched it on TV in Toronto Cananda and Obama really touches the heart! I liked the testimonials from the everyday people - he really comes across as ONE with us.

Posted by: Teaching Kids Yoga | August 31, 2008 11:52 PM

Republican Yogis unite at the Inauguration in Washington, DC.

It is very clear Obama is unfit and unqualified. If you surround yourself with people who hate America, you probably share the same values. Look around at your own friends, you probably share same opinions.

John McCain is the next President.

Posted by: Jeff Washburn | September 2, 2008 05:32 AM

I have never been more uplifted and inspired than by Sarah Palin. She is truly a great woman who could be President. John McCain was brilliant for choosing her as Vice President. God bless them and bless America.

Posted by: Jeff Washburn | September 7, 2008 08:14 PM

There are more Republican yogis than you think! We're not bigots or narrow-minded, we just have a different opinion of how our government should work. Obama may be a charismatic speaker, but he is not qualified for the Presidency!

David Leone

Posted by: David Leone | September 8, 2008 01:54 AM

I'm very glad to see a republican presence here. Whether we call ourselves that, or 'conservative,' you hit the nail on the head by saying we simply have a different opinion. It makes me no less a yogini, or someone who desires peace and stability for our country and our neighbors, because I feel the path to accomplish that needs to be firm and measured. And isn't that what America is all about??? The freedom to express those opinions openly and without fear of retribution (with the exception, of course, of some of our fellow 'yogis.')

I don't think the government is the answer to all our problems. I believe in LESS government and I don't believe the government should pay for everything because ultimately it's really only you and I who are paying for it.

Thanks for letting me know I am not alone out here!!! :)

Peace and Love

Posted by: Pam Jedlicka | September 10, 2008 02:04 AM

Thanks for your comment. I should only wish and hope that others would open their eyes to a change this country needs! Wish I could have been there to experience the chills as well!

Posted by: Hope and Faith | September 11, 2008 03:10 PM

I'm surprised to find a blog post about politics on a yoga site. I vigorously defend uncensored expression of any variety but feel it is best received in context. As this is not a personal blog, I question whether this site is the proper context for political expression. Thank you for considering my thoughts!

Posted by: Jessica | September 12, 2008 08:58 PM

I'm just another conservative yogini out there as well. Im glad you had a great time, but to use a yoga blog to promote a presidential candidate is, i think, unprofessional. In my teacher training, 2/30 of us were conservatives. Thankfully, our yoga studio and other participants in the training were very open to us and didnt think we were automatically against human rights or generally horrible people.
Sometimes I imagine being conservative in a yoga studio is what a homosexual feels like in a church down south.

Posted by: Bridget | September 18, 2008 08:14 PM

For Hope and Faith: I think there is a school of thought that believes yogis SHOULD be politically engaged and put their message out there, for the benefit of the whole world. I might agree with that, except often I find the activism is delivered with a bit of anger and hostilitytowards those whose opinions differ. I have never quite understood that.
For all of us, I wish peace and prosperity.

Posted by: pam | September 27, 2008 01:34 AM