Yoga and the Wisdom of Native Americans

Take Heart — the gray skies have much to teach us.. And yes, soon the light will burst through and illuminate the clear skies above.

I watch Nature and Discovery shows every chance I get. On a recent show, I learned that Native Americans have been on the American continent for over 12,000 years. That blew me away. That’s a long time to gain wisdom, and it saddens me that so much of it has been lost over the 400+ years that Europeans have been on this continent. It’sis especially sad to me as Native Americans have a lot to teach us contemporary Americans. As a part-indigenous person myself (I am part Native Hawaiian), I know first-hand the destruction of native people’s ways and the struggles that go with living in both old and new ways. Hence, I dedicated my yoga teaching in December to the wisdom of Native Americans in hopes that they could serve as reminders for how to live a more fully realized life in 2021, especially after the year we’ve all been through.

Pema Chödrön re-tells this story:

There was a story that was widely circulated a few days after the attacks of September 11, 2001, that illustrates our dilemma. A Native American grandfather was speaking to his grandson about violence and cruelty in the world and how it comes about. He said it was as if two wolves were fighting in his heart. One wolf was vengeful and angry, and the other wolf was understanding and kind. The young man asked his grandfather which wolf would win the fight in his heart. And the grandfather answered, “The one that wins will be the one I choose to feed.”

If anything, the pandemic has exposed the inequalities that exist on our planet. A few at the top have prospered, those in the middle are enduring, while far too many in the lower rungs of society have suffered. Truly the recovery has been “K-shaped.” As conscious yogis, we must ask ourselves – which wolf will we choose to feed? Hopefully, most of us will wait to get the vaccine until when it’s our turn, rather than jump the line and go before someone who has truly suffered and has more need than we do. Will you choose to feed the wolf of fairness and moral uprightness?

I also learned of this Native American belief:

A healer needs to have some gray in his/her hair.

If “Madison Avenue” and Hollywood could have their way, they would make you want to get rid of all your gray hairs when they appear. But as yogis, hopefully our practice can teach us the wisdom of letting the gray be. It symbolizes that the experience of life has taught us important lessons. Similarly, I know “the weather outside is frightful,” but the gray skies symbolize the vast amount of wisdom that we have all gained during this “year-of-the-pandemic,” and I do believe that hidden in the gray are seeds of promise that will flourish in the coming spring. Will you join me in watering those seeds – even if we can’t see them – with kindness and understanding?

Crazy Horse (1840-1877) was a Native American Warrior who fought against the encroachment of American settlers and for the Native American way of life. He famously said:

I salute the light within your eyes where the whole universe dwells. For when you are at that center within you, and I am at that place within me, we shall be one.

At the end of my yoga classes, I offer students the opportunity to share “Namaste,” which translates to “I bow down to the Light within You.” In his own way, Crazy Horse was practicing yoga when he uttered these words. He truly knew that we are all One. As yogis, it is our duty to use the practice to help us move closer to our centers. For it is at that place that we can truly be of use to the world. As you continue or renew your yoga practices in January, use Crazy Horse to inspire. Keep moving towards the peaceful center within you so you can do your part in recognizing the unity of all beings. It is at that place that we can truly help the world to heal from the pandemic. As you start your new year, will you join me in feeding the wolf that sees the Light within all beings?

As we close out 2020:

May you truly be happy, …
May you be healthy, …
May you use this “season of gray” to gain wisdom for the coming spring …
May you practice the Wisdom of Native Americans …
For the benefit of ALL beings everywhere.

Aloha, with Metta,
Paul Keoni Chun

I wonder what the the folks up on Jupiter and Saturn must be trying to tell us earthlings right now?! (Pinch out to find Saturn.)