Dear Yoga Friends,

Our practice this week builds on the month’s theme of humility. This siddhi or spiritual power is something most of us have very little experience with and few role models, so it can feel foreign and awkward. It may even feel uncomfortable and scary, like in meditation as we consciously surrender our ego, leaving us with no sense of identity.  

In my recent study of the ancient mystical Christian tradition* I discovered some ideas that might help us with this challenging practice of humility. The Eastern Orthodox path aspires to reach theosis, a state in which the split between God and self is overcome. The Orthodox language, like our lineage of Yoga, uses dualistic language and therefore asserts that we are not seeking to annihilate the self. Our unique essence or soul lives for eternity. The important thing is that we seek to reduce the egotistical urges that are the opposite of humility and oneness, the opposite of who we truly are.