Easter Sunday

Easter: what do we make of this holiday, if we do not practice any kind of organized religion? Our family doesn’t recognize Easter in any traditional religious sense. Certainly when our kids were kids, we participated in the more secular/commercial parts of the holiday, decorating eggs, making up baskets filled with way too much candy. Now though, I have to say I mostly forget about Easter until it is upon us. When I do contemplate its meaning and significance, I am compelled by the imagery of death/birth/renewal, and the “egg” as a potent symbol of this process.You don’t often see "Estrogen" and "Easter" in the same sentence, but just look at the two words and you can see a connection. They both come from Oestre, the ancient pagan goddess of the dawn. Estrogen being the hormone produced by ovaries, “Oestre” is apt for something so closely linked to the production of new life. Eggs have always been a secular symbol of Easter, which was originally a northern hemisphere festival for the celebration of the coming of spring, when nature bursts with new life.The Christian understanding of Easter includes the belief that tragedy and grief—symbolized by the crucifixion—can give way to new life— symbolized by the resurrection—and that pain and loss are essential steps on the journey toward enlightenment.When I think on it, I choose to see the holiday as a meditation on hope, a celebration of faith in the future, and a reminder that despite our failures, frailties and flaws, personal resurrection is always a possibility for us. This kind of reflection offers welcome consolation in the face of disappointment and fear.So: Easter as a time symbolically for hope and change and new life? There is so much turmoil and uncertainty in our world right now, but I have to say, I feel glimmers of hope (and such pride!) when I hear the Parkland students speak. When I hear their rage, their sorrow, their determination, I allow myself to feel hope. What the Parkland students have accomplished in such a short time in some ways reflects a utopian vision of revolution: bringing people together to create positive change, and coalescing groups with different voices around one movement. Their voices are going to continue, and in me that inspires a feeling of hope, even against the backdrop of despair and disgust with our current administration.We invite you to come practice with us this Easter Sunday morning (afternoon classes are cancelled). Whether and how you recognize the holiday, may the practice of yoga continue to deepen your own exploration of self, and to help reboot your sense of hope in the world around you.LoveLeslie