“Finding what is scared amid the loss might look like a wild spiritual awakening. It might be a secular return to the rituals our people have been performing for millennia. All of these offer connection with the larger, truer worlds, with the ancient, with timelessness and the luminous now. Rituals fill our souls and tummies.”
Anne Lamott
Rituals are integral parts of each of us. They can be religious, cultural or social yet they give us purpose and sustain us during the hardest of times. Although you probably never looked at it this way before, rituals have you coming back to your yoga class, week after week. When I come to my practice I take a seat first and foremost. This too is a ritual. I rarely start in any other posture. I sit. And I do so consciously to create a grounded starting point for my practice. I then sound 'Om' 3 times. The sound of 'Om' is also a ritual of the spiritual practice, it helps us tap into creation and connect to all beings. It is an opening prayer, signifying that our practice time is a sacred time. I then dedicate my practice or set an intention, again engaging in another ritual to give my session a deeper meaning. Next time you take a class notice what ritual makes you 'arrive' so to speak. I remember vividly my first Jivamukti yoga classes many years ago now in Rome. We always started with a chant and I remember precisely how every time we started chanting I'd arrive. I might have been distracted until that moment, filled with thoughts and looking around however that was the cue to bring me back to the 'here and now'. It was like the sound of a bell, a wake up call, a call for home.
So whether religious or secular, rituals have the ability to remind us of the sacred. They help us connect as Anne Lamott puts it: "with the larger, truer world, with the ancient, with timelessness and the luminous now". Rituals ground us in the now, they bring us back to the present moment. They help us connect and they give us meaning, especially in times of uncertainty. So in this moment of such unpredictability and fear in which we are all confined to practicing in our homes and many of us can't see family or friends for the holidays, I wanted to offer you an ancient yoga ritual: create your own altar, to create a safe space in which to practice.
An altar is a sacred place you create for yourself. A place you can return to, time and time again, to feel safe and to practice. An altar holds gratitude and inspiration and gives you the opportunity to surround yourself with objects and images that motivate and move you. It's a place of rest and comfort. A place that strengthens your intention and dedication for the practice.
Whether you are meditating, practicing yoga, chanting or simply pausing in front of your altar it serves as a reflection of your own spiritual journey, a reminder of compassion, discipline, gratitude and mindfulness.
“Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you. Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion. Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.”
― Rumi."
How to create a home altar...
On this Thanksgiving/ Native American Heritage Day, if you are alone or lonely, I invite you to make your own home altar for practice. Note that this can be done in the tiniest of spaces! And I invite you to personalize it as best you can as this is a space solely for you, it must only be of meaning to you so feel free to omit or swap items as you see fit.
I'll share some tips from my own home altar to inspire you!
1. Deity
In the yogic tradition there are many deities that symbolize many different things. If you are not familiar with any I would skip this but I invite you to research the most well known ones to see if any one of them resonates with you. To give you an example, I have 3 deities which never leave my altar. At times I will add a few more depending on the time of year and the intention behind my practice.
The first is Ganesh/a. Ganesha, the elephant headed deity, which most of you know by now, is the remover of obstacles and represents wisdom and good luck. We chant or invoke Ganesha any time we embark on a journey or need a blessing for a new endeavor.
Secondly, I have the Buddha centered on my altar. There are many Buddha statues and different postures mean different things. My Buddha statue comes from China and has given me calm and solace since I laid eyes on it. There is so much one could say on the Buddha, but to keep this concise the Buddha is a spiritual teacher worshipped by so many who provides the teachings of awakening and enlightenment.
Thirdly, I have Shiva as Nataraja on my altar. Shiva is the powerful god of destruction and transformation and depicted as Nataraja he is a reminder of the never-ending cycle of change and time.
2. Inspirational Photos
I invite you to pull together a few images/ photos that inspire you. They could depict a guru or sage you look up to, or anyone who has been a teacher for you and who has inspired you: a mother, child, animal, activist, scholar, pacifist. There are no limits to whom you might choose. Just keep in mind it should be someone who inspires and uplifts you every time you gaze their way.
3. Words of Wisdom
Words can inspire endlessly. I always have Thich Nhat Hanh quotes and a book or two of his on my altar and the Yoga Sutras. Books have also been and continue to be my faithful teachers. I invite you to choose wisely what words inspire and uplift you. They can be on a card, scroll or you might like to rewrite them in a special way to give them additional meaning. You might hang them or lay them down on your altar.
4. Light
Light in the yogic tradition is a central concept linked to our inner nature and the realization of enlightenment; it is the goal of yoga and all meditative practices. As such, it is very important to have a reminder of our goal on our altar. Choose a few cherished candles and tea lights to place on your surface and every time you light them, do so mindfully and with love. You can also set an intention or dedicate your practice as you perform this ritual.
5. Incense
I encourage you to add anything you like to burn to purify the energy around your space to your sacred altar. I personally love to burn all sorts of incenses and holy woods. Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens) for instance, is a tree native to Peru, Ecuador and other South American countries and is considered holy. This tree has been used for centuries for its fragrance, purification and medicinal purposes. I also have sage on my altar, another plant known for centuries and used by the Native Americans for shifting energy, removing toxic air and improving intuition. All these scents can also help alleviate stress and anxiety while aiding us to center.
6. Flowers
It's recommended to bring fresh flowers to your altar as a gesture of gratitude and as as offering of love and inspiration. If fresh flowers are not available be creative with your gestures, you could leave nuts, leaves or fruit!
7. Prayer Beads
If you own prayer beads which are called Mala beads in the yogic tradition I invite you to leave them on your altar. Prayer beads have been used for centuries by a range of religions, from Hinduism to Catholicism, but you don't have to be necessarily religious to own a set. I use them to concentrate and count how many mantras I've recited when I chant for instance. They traditionally include 108 beads in addition to a guru bead, which is larger than the rest of the beads and often has a tassel.
8. Musical instruments
If you chant or play an instrument you might like to leave it by your altar as a reminder that music, vibration and chanting are the highest forms of prayer. Bhakti yoga is in fact the yoga of devotion, of love and is considered one of the fastest ways to enlightenment. I have my harmonium at the feet of my altar, I also have bells, chimes and a singing bowl. Sound is sacred. If you are not familiar with these instruments you might just print out a simple 'mantra' or chant and practice reciting it again and again before or after practice. Mantras protect the mind and chants have the incredible potential of shifting our vibrational state, removing fear and uplifting our souls.
9. Meditation Pillow or Blanket
Lastly, even if you have a small house I suggest keeping a blanket or a meditation pillow in front of your home altar as a reminder of your practice. As a reminder to pause during your busy days and take a breath. Especially now as we are all confined to working, living and practicing under the same roof it is so important to create different spaces within your home to honor rest, practice, meditation and the art of mindfulness.
Thich Nhat Hanh tells a lovely story regarding the art of lighting incense in the Buddhist tradition. It's the perfect example of how to make the smallest gestures an act for love, attention and mindfulness. He says that one could easily hold the incense stick with one hand as an incense stick is very light, but in this tradition you have to put your left hand on your right hand in order to hold the stick and place it in the incense holder. This symbolizes that you are lighting and holding the incense with one hundred percent of your body and mind. You are lighting the incense to light the incense only. With complete concentration and mindfulness. I encourage you to create your altar in this way.
We may not be able to be with our loved ones this year but we can tap into our inner light and bring joy and love to our own lives and homes. We are after all but a reflection of what we hold inside. We are sacred. We are already holy. Ponder what it means for you to be whole, holy this holiday season. Ponder the meaning of your practice, what it does for you. Rejoice in your own presence, your own carefulness, watchfulness! Deep into this pandemic if we've learnt anything it is just how deeply interconnected we all are. And that might be hard to feel as we are forced to isolate to protect one another but in truth we must separate because we are just so interdependent and a part of a larger sacred whole. It is our duty as yogis to love, cherish, honor and work on ourselves first to feel more deeply connected to everything that surrounds in order to be of greater service to humanity. May you cherish sustaining yourself this holy-day season by building an altar to honor your home practice!
Love & Light,
Lavinia
“What we see in the world around us is just a reflection of what is inside of us.”
― Sharon Gannon
"Life wants to keep reminding us of its sacred self, but we have to open our eyes and ears. Yes, our hair looks like hell, and we're out of shape, and dislike our mate, and shouldn't have had children, but God, what a sunset. And I so appreciate the roof over my head. There is an exuberant patch of poppies and weeds outside in the rocky dirt. The poppies are lanterns: light over darkness, good over evil.
Light your lantern with self-love. Shine."
Anne Lamott