Soundtrack of Life

It's funny, I started an entry quite some time ago with this same title. Music can be so powerful, in more ways than one. It can draw you quickly back to a time in life, maybe happy, maybe sad. It can inspire you, it can make you move, make you laugh, cry, dance, sing, step outside yourself and get loose. It's really a powerful form of art.
This weekend was full of music for me. I "facilitated" the yoga trance dance Friday night and carefully crafted a playlist with the hopes it would inspire people to move, get in touch with their inner rhythm, and set them free. High hopes? Maybe so, but I think everyone that participated (all 4 of us) felt moved by the rhythm and liberated by some wild movement. It's good for the spirit. We danced, we laughed, we played, we sweat like crazy and at the end of the night, my body was exhausted, my find felt energized, and my spirit was content. I came home, shared the experience with my husband and slept hard. I woke up Saturday morning fresh and a little sore, ready for 108 sun salutations (a yoga mala) at the park to honor the summer solstice. I had carefully crafted another playlist for this event.
Doing 108 sun salutations sounds like and is a lot. It is a meditation in movement. Every movement is matched to the breath, so you find yourself getting really connected to the breath. You watch your breath for about an hour and a half, which in and of itself, is a unique experience. The physical practice of doing that many sun salutations can seem a little overwhelming if you have never done it before, but we break it down into 4 rounds of 27, with a pause in between each one, and a playlist for each round that hopefully inspires, or distracts, or brings the participants back to the meaning of each round.
When I arrived to set up for the Yoga Mala, there was a gentleman sitting on a bench on the perimeter of the park. He looked like he had probably been up all night or had slept outside. He looked rough around the edges so to speak. As my fellow yoga teacher and I set things up, the man walked over to me and asked "What are you doing on my patio?" He wasn't abrasive, more inquisitive than anything. I said we were going to practice yoga in the park. He then proceeded to tell me that he was "an alcoholic, dope sick, 'Nam Vet, homeless, broke, pissed off and sick of being sick" and then he pulled out a dark bottle of something that he was holding underneath his coat and took a swig. I wrestled for a moment with what to say. I asked him if he had been to the mission for help. "F**K those guys." was his response. So, I didn't say anything else, but in my mind said, I will dedicate my practice to you today, I will pray for you. He stood there and watched me for a bit and then went over to the grass on the edge of where we were doing yoga and sat down.
We began our practice, moved through our four rounds of 27, music playing, my spirit was singing. The man laid down in the grass eventually and went to sleep, or passed out, hard to say. I prayed that the music, our positive energy lulled him to sleep and gave him some sense of peace he perhaps hadn't had for some time. Who knows? There were several songs, at least one in each of the 4 rounds, that as I listened to their lyrics, I couldn't help but feel like they were created for him, for that particular moment in time.
Round 1 is dedicated to the self, to personal growth, healing and transformation. "I'm a new soul, I came to this strange world hoping I could learn a bit 'bout how to give and take. But since I came here, felt the joy and the fear, finding myself making every possible mistake. See I'm a young soul in this very strange world hoping I could learn a bit 'bout what is true and fake. But why all this hate? Try to communicate finding trust and love is not always easy to make."
Round 2 is dedicated to friends and family, as well as people we have unresolved conflict with. I would venture to guess, I was not the only one praying for that guy during this round. "You think I'd leave you down when you're down on your knees? I wouldn't do that. When you're on the outside baby and you can't get in, I'll show you, you are so much better than that. When you're lost and you're alone and can't get back again, I will find you and I will bring you home." I don't consider myself a religious person, but I couldn't help but think Sade's lyrics were God speaking to him, a divine message.
Round 3 is a dedication to community, the world, causes you are passionate about. One Tribe Y'all...you know the lyrics to this one, yes?
And last, but not least, the last round, dedicated to the divine, the Source. Macy Gray's Beauty in the World..."I know you're fed up..what's been going down...what's been messed up for us? There is beauty in the world, so much beauty in the world, always beauty in the world, so much beauty in the world."
I'm sure the guy in the park isn't still thinking about us doing our yoga in the park. But, I am still thinking about him, still praying for him to find a better way, a better path, his very own soundtrack of life.