Practicing Hope
After preparing to teach an online yoga class I popped open the laptop to set up Zoom. A news headline flashed across the screen- “New Zealand rated best place to survive global societal collapse. UK second.”
Crap, what about the rest of us? You know that sinking feeling, existential dread that we often feel just under the surface? This headline brought it screaming to the forefront! Fortunately, I burst into laughter and moved to greet my students.
Later I went back and read the article- the “study” looked at criteria like a place’s ability to grow food for their population, protect borders (from the rest of us scrambling to survive) and maintain an electrical grid. Tasmania and Ireland ranked up there as well. Apparently, those who live on a well-developed (but not too well-developed- that’s part of the problem) low-populated island with good weather have a chance!
With the delta variant raging across the planet and systems and people’s emotional states perhaps at a breaking point- there IS much to fear. You’d think this would be at odds for a blog about hope, but it’s not. I had prepared a theme for my class that introduced the idea and an inquiry to connect to hope.
This isn’t a blind, surface hope. It is a living, breathing thing that needs attention- just like you have to knead bread dough- hope also needs you to take action to create more of it.
This type of hope points to our potential- to come up with solutions, an increasing capacity to grow love and creativity. This too, exists, although it doesn’t garner the same type of attention-grabbing as a scary headline.
To make space for hope allow yourself to listen or watch a teacher, a leader you connect with, or friend or someone familiar with a wisdom path. Someone who inspires you and is doing the work. It’s hard to practice hope alone.
Next, we dip into a gentle inquiry on a personal level. You can do this by getting still, quiet, closing your eyes. Try placing a hand on the center of your chest and take several deep breaths. Allow yourself to feel any sensations. Are you able to sense the hope that lives within your heart- your own wisdom that abides there? It’s a place of inner trust that you have the answers to the problems that arise and that you trust life will bring you experiences you need to grow.
After a few minutes of this self-reflection, try to extend that sense of hope outward- do you believe humanity is evolving? Are you able to sense even a possibility that humanity is evolving? Are there patterns or problem solving that you see taking place in the bigger picture- globally?
Just this week we saw evidence of evolution in U.S. culture as gymnast Simone Biles displayed the courage to step away from the Superwoman stereotype to care for herself, instead of going for the gold at the Olympics.
On a broader scope we see how North Americans have cut way back on cigarette smoking, most of us no longer throw trash out of windows of moving cars (as I used to see regular folks do in the 1970s). We are more in tune with gay rights, BIPOC rights, disability rights than ever before. Even if lots of work remains, we are willing to see what needs to be done.
In which ways do you seen humanity evolving? You could even write down your own noticings.
Once you notice the internal and external hope it’s easier to live from that place and with practice to be rooted in that hope.
Hope is deeply connected to a sense of trust- a trust in the inherent goodness, that life itself knows what it is doing.
How are you creating hope in your life- do you meditate, journal, work for a worthy cause, donate money to a movement you care about?
May these steps help you stay aware on the path of hope, even when it seems like the way is not clear
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