The Serenity of MIRACLES
March 28, 2011
“Be on the lookout for mercies. The more we look for them, the more of them we will see…Better to lose count while naming your blessings, that to lose your blessings counting your troubles.”
Maltbie D. Babcock
“To be alive, to be able to see, to walk…it’s all a miracle. I have adapted the technique of living life from miracle to miracle.” Margie Piercy
Would you like to experience a miracle in 10 seconds or less? Take a moment to inhale, taking the breath in for at least 5 seconds and releasing for 5 seconds.
There is a tendency to believe that miracles are something of the extraordinary. Miracles are extraordinary, but they are also a part of our daily existence. Each and every day and in some way, a miracle happens. To drill it down to the most basic sense, when your eyes open each day, you have experienced a miracle. According to A Course in Miracles, a miracle is simply a shift in your perspective from fear to love. The capability for miracles lies in your perception.
Serenity creates peace of mind. Your logical mind can be incapable of understanding that peace, serenity and ease, are truly only one breath away. You can feel serene in the midst of turmoil, by turning inward, taking a breath and connecting with the faith that you are always provided for, that everything that happens to us has a divine purpose and timing.
As you open your eyes each morning, having gratitude for only that would be enough. It is a miracle when we walk outside of our homes and return safely each day. We bear witness to a miracle, each and every time we practice yoga on the mat. To feel our bodies and experience the breath flowing through it is truly a cause for awe. Yoga asana is created because of our breath. Flowing with the breath insures we create the yoking that is the heart of the practice. To be able to take a deep rich breath, is truly a gift, as anyone with asthma or respiratory issues, can attest to. The breath is life, and the most important and vital function that gives other functions the capability to exist. The story below bears witness to this.
A few weeks ago, I was asking the universe for a miracle. My dear friend Lisa Elaine Berns, became very ill and was fighting and struggling against cancer. Her main concern was her inability to breath, which compromised her ability to speak. I spoke to her on the phone, prior to her return to the hospital. Her voice was barely a whisper and she wanted me to visit when she was hoping to feel better the following week. Things turned for the worse and she was hospitalized in ICU with Pneumonia in one of her lungs. Combined with ovarian cancer and a host of other complications, my thoughts and faith faltered as my heart turned to fear. In my prayers, I asked God for a miracle, to give her the strength to fight and survive. Upon returning from a business trip, I inquired about visiting hours and was told that she might not make it through the night, and that I should get to the hospital immediately.
When I saw her, my heart broke, watching her struggling to breathe, even with a tube and oxygen. The breath was very, very shallow and barely leaving her throat area. It was rapid and fast. She was heavily sedated and in an out of consciousness.
As our yoga practice speaks to, we should take in the longest deepest breaths possible as this transports the energy needed to heal, strengthen and cleanse the body. The pain medication that they had given her had begun to wear off, and she was coming to better consciousness. She was moaning and asking for pain relief. As I held her hand, I asked her to hold on and relax, I said her nickname “Bernie” , she looked at me and replied: “Bergie” her nickname for me. My intention on what I wanted to say or do when I arrived was to ask her to let go and allow. It was horrible to see her struggle so badly. As the tears came, I said to God that she did not deserve to suffer the way she was suffering. As I held her hand, I asked her to please surrender and allow the help she was to receive, to take place. She looked at me and said “I am ready, I am ready”. She was given the pain medication, and from what I understand, for the first time, since she became ill, her breath was deeper and she was resting more peaceful than before. I left feeling very hopeful and excited about the possibility that whatever the outcome, she would be okay. I did feel that she could survive and had a chance to beat last longer than through the night. I rested well that night and prayed to God for his divine intervention to help my friend. She passed away the next day, a few hours before I made it back to see her. Initially, I was overwhelmed by grief and shock that she had passed on, so quickly. She had fallen ill only 3 weeks prior and was now gone! As I mourned and cried and sobbed and reached out to friends for comfort, I ultimately realized, that a miracle HAD happened. Her expedient death at only 3 weeks plus, WAS the miracle. She didn’t have to suffer any longer. Whilst I and many of her friends and family have grappled with her loss, at the end of the day, we can find serenity in the miracle of her peace away from the pain and decay of life on this plane. A miracle is a shift in one’s perspective from fear to love. I love the fact that she is no longer suffering, I love the fact that her death has reconnected some long lost friends, I love the fact that a week before she passed on, another dear friend who crossed over years ago, came to her in a dream and said she was trying to find her and take her with her. I love that she is surrounded by an outpouring of love and compassion from the letters, calls and dedications to a woman who touched so many. She certainly gave more than she ever took. Lisa was an amazing friend to me and I am grateful for her being a part of my path and the sacred contract that brought us together.
Ironically, or rather divinely ordered, when I was asked to return to the Yoga Collective to sub classes this week, I asked the universe what my message should be. My eyes feel upon my book, A Course in Miracles and the theme came to me, “The Serenity of Miracles”. It was a week later that I read an e-mail that told me Lisa was not feeling well, and had gone to the hospital.
You must believe that serenity is a natural state of mind. To feel otherwise, is to be disconnected from your divine spirit. It is not easy to feel serene all of the time, but it comes with daily practice and surrendering to the simplest of miracles each day.
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHTS:
“To be glad of life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions, but not contented with yourself until you have made the best of them; to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness, and to fear nothing in the world except cowardice; to be governed by your admirations, rather than your disgusts; to covet nothing that is your neighbors except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom of your enemies, and often of your friends, and every day of Christ; and spend as much time as you can, with body, and with spirit, in God’s out-of –doors- these are little guideposts on the footpath to peace.”
Henry Van Dyke
“Miracles transcend the body. They are sudden shifts into invisibility, away from the bodily level. That is why they heal.” A Course in Miracles
“When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.” Francois de la Rochefoucauld
“Miracles reawaken the awareness that the spirit, not the body, it the alter of truth. This is the recognition that leads to the healing power of the miracle.” A course in Miracles
“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God no matter what the conflict.” Anon.
“Thank God every morning when you get up that you have something to do which must be done, whether you like it or not.” Charles Kingsley
“Thank God for dirty dishes; they have a story to tell.
While other folks go hungry, we’re eating pretty well.
With home, and health, and happiness, we shouldn’t want to fuss;
For by this stack, of evidence, God’s been very good to us.” Anon
“Miracles arise from a miraculous state of mind, or a state of miracle-readiness.” A Course in Miracles
