‘Always the 3’, our Peruvian Shaman Ruben, would tell us as he guided us through the landscapes of the Inca culture. There are 3 tiers or worlds that the Inca believed in: The lower world, Uqhu Pacha, representing the underworld and death, the middle world, Kay Pacha, representing the world of human life and the upper world, Hanan Pacha, included the stars, celestial beings and gods. There were 3 animals representing these 3 worlds, in that same order: the snake, the puma and the condor.
There is power in the number 3. From triangle to pyramid 3 is strong and stable. It is the beginning, the middle and the end or the past, the present and the future. We can see ourselves in 3 parts; body, mind and spirit. To find stability all 3 of these parts of us need to be in balance. Finding balance during the months and months of the C19 Pandemic has been challenging, to say the least! I return over and over to the power of 3.
At the start, in March 2020, CDC news and health information came fast and furious and it was challenging and life changing. I was adrift that first month with no anchor of work and scheduled activities. I found myself needing to take 3 more breaths, anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes I took 3 breaths, long deep inhales and slow, lingering exhales before entering the grocery store or to ease my way into yoga poses. 3 more breaths to slow my restless being to see what was around me. 3 breaths gave me the time to find the beauty, the quiet and the gratitude for my life. With 3 breaths I began to go deeper and find my stable roots.
Deepak Chopra teaches the 3 Pillars of a healthy life being; Satsang, Seva and Sadhana. Satsang can be described as the sharing of truth in a community. I started to teach my yoga classes online and this connected me with my long time friends and students. Seva is the break out of the ego and into the qualities of true self, self-less giving. I volunteered with a non-profit, Rocky, (Rocky Mountain Development Council) making weekly check-in telephone calls to their senior clients. I taught a free online yoga class each week for the Rocky staff. I joined the Board of another non-profit, Hands on Global. With volunteer work I connect with a larger and more diverse world. Sadhana, my spiritual practice, is always evolving. I committed to longer daily practices of yoga and meditation. I spent more time in the outside world, in nature. I dropped into what I loved to do and this self-care, my anchor, my north star, enabled me to grow, bloom and expand. I find the balance of these 3 practices gives me the greatest stability, health and happiness, day by day.
Last December I began a Winter Season Ayurvedic course with Melina Meza (I highly recommend her classes). This course based on 3 pillars: Exercise, Food and Rest. I learned to exercise in new ways with a different format for yoga, I cooked different foods and moved “Sleep” to the top of my priorities. The 3!
Over the winter months I nourished my body, mind and spirit .I felt more prepared for the changing of the seasons. And there are many changes in weather here in Montana. It snowed today, the last week of May. Grrrrrrrr……grateful for the moisture for our earth. Om.