Provocative poem written by Laoshi Yali Lui in the aftermath of our 5-Day Bowspring Training in Xi\’an, China last month. It is loosely translated from Mandarin, but the deeper meaning of her poetry is felt in the images of her awakening to a marvelous view of waves in a world that only sees straight lines.
***
Earth
It\’s round
Sky
It\’s round
People in the middle,
They\’re curvy too.
But the small mind,
It\’s straight.
People constrain themselves,
No one believes they\’re round.
Normally, people follow a straight line,
Run along…
I thought the target was ahead.
People don\’t know
that there is another way.
But they are afraid to look back.
If someone turns around,
reports that it’s curvy and round,
It\’s called \”treason.\”
The voice of the apostate,
drowned out by the voice of the majority.
A man would rather be lost
than to be discovered
by the screams of condemnation.
To use an old story to keep down
those who have new ideas,
to harshly criticize
the Great Disobedience
with blame, criticism, and judgement
It’s all from fear.
People mistakenly think
It\’s safer to stay straight,
better to live in fear
than to know the vast mystery
of the unbounded dome of the sky.
But if you want to live your true self
Go! Go and turn around,
face the truth
of the Dragon’s spiral dance.
Laoshi Yali Lui is a stylish, sophisticated, and very charismatic woman in her early 50\’s, who has inspired thousands through her yoga teaching in China for over 20 years. In 2005, she established and opened Yama Yoga, the first yoga studio in Shaanxi province in the heart of mainland China. Yali became one of the first Anusara yoga certified teachers in China, and was the first to bring Anusara yoga, Yin Yoga, and Prana flow into central China. She has conducted over 130 workshops and trainings in over 50 cities in the mainland of China and in Singapore.
Laoshi Yali Lui is a stylish, sophisticated, and very charismatic woman in her early 50\’s, who has inspired thousands through her yoga teaching in China for over 20 years. In 2005, she established and opened Yama Yoga, the first yoga studio in Shaanxi province in the heart of mainland China. Yali became one of the first Anusara yoga certified teachers in China, and was the first to bring Anusara yoga, Yin Yoga, and Prana flow into central China. She has conducted over 130 workshops and trainings in over 50 cities in the mainland of China and in Singapore.
