At the beginning of 2024 I chose ‘grace’ to be my word of the year. It is a word I had not really considered before as for me it has associations with religion and I am not a religious person. However after reading Julia Baird’s book ‘Bright Shining. How Grace Changes Everything’ I realised there is much more to the word. I recently listened to Julia on her recent podcast episode as she travels in the US on a tour to promote the book at a time when not much grace had been on display in that country. I certainly mourn the absence of grace but it is still there in the small acts of compassion and kindness that I witness and hear about regularly. So this morning as I sat with my coffee I revisited the book and my word of 2024.
In Julia’s book one definition of grace given is ‘Grace is honouring another person’s humanity even when they don’t honour yours.’ It is about finding the good in others, recognising humanity and see the world through the lens of grace, holding onto the belief that people can change. I will continue to fight for joy, beauty and equality. Julia writes ‘Karma is getting what you deserve. Grace is the opposite: forgiving the unforgivable, favouring the undeserving, loving the unlovable.’
I feel the ‘grace’ might continue to be my word for 2025 as I am not sure I wholly committed to it this year. I was dragged down by division, hate and intolerance. Grace is a bit like happiness, it does not just arrive, you cannot strive for it, but it will arrive quietly, a glimpse, a glimmer or as the Scots say a glisk. I find nature immensely helpful to connect with a sense of grace, as the suns bursts out from behind the clouds or the full moon rises over the horizon.
In my 2024 sankalpa or heartfelt intention I stated:
I am grace.
I live gently with kindness and love.
I accept things that I cannot control.
Grace dissolves the resistance and obstacles in my life.
When I don’t resist, I am grace.
In Sanskrit the word Pranidhana means to surrender or by supported by. In Buddhism Pranidhana is a vow typically made by a bodhisattva that they will strive to help all beings. This letting go, acceptance and connection with something higher or bigger than us sounds a lot like grace. Grace in the context of yoga might bring to mind the elegance and beauty of the movements but it is more about the philosophy of the practice. In the yoga tradition, grace implies surrender and devotion: devotion to the practice and surrender to the Divine. Without this type of grace, the yoga practitioner remains tethered to the material world and its negative influences.
If you are interested in reading more about setting a sankalpa or heartfelt intention check out my previous blog post here. I will be offering two Sankalpa Workshops in January 2025 as part of the Stirling Street Arts Centre Summer School program. The sessions, one offered in the morning and one after work, will be 1.5 hours long with an hour or so of yoga and meditation followed by time to get creative as you set your intentions for 2025 maybe with a word, affirmation, mantra or visual representation. To book visit the the Stirling Street Arts Centre website here.
This holiday season which can be a tough time for many, give yourself and others the gift of grace. May you carry yourself with grace and may you uplift others simply by the grace with which you carry yourself. Please comment below on what grace means to you or maybe reflect on what was your word for 2024.
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