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Dvesha
for Sandi and Carla

Since my mother hated beets,
I always refused them—

until one night at a diner,
a friend insisted, try them.

The blood of one single purplish-red globe
dripping across the formica table,

the thing speared between the tines of my fork,
how much we kill before killing,

all that we deny, all the white lies,
who or what are we protecting?

And how many of us are running from
and running to: pleasure, yes;

pain, no. And how easy it is to lock a door,
one half turn of the wrist and safe,

but from what?
During meditation, Carla says:

Try to taste your own heart
and I return to this, new to the city,

with a new friend after midnight,
dank, brave and earthy bite—

I was hooked. Though it took years for me
to peel my own, let my own hands be stained,

because after all, how can any of us escape
the beat of Shiva's drum,

our own our magenta desire
without noticing how rich the color

of blood, our lives, bubbling up
from an open wound before we

apply the band-aid, and kiss
our pain away.

—by Carly Sachs

Photograph by Carla Stangenberg. See full version.

September Focus of the Month

Pada / Abhinivesha

feet This school year our physical education starts with an examination of the pada or the foot. It is delicate made in so many little pieces yet strong resilient and supportive. The foot is the foundation of all the standing poses but also come into play in every thing from inversions to hip-openers. How many points of the foot are there? Irene Dowd and Iyengar indicate 4, others specify 3. Regardless, we all know you cannot build a building from the top down. Put the scaffolding up and start laying bricks from the tenth floor to the first? No way. Look forward to getting to know the dozens of bones and joints, the 3 arches, the one bandha of the foot and probably taking one good look at the sole of your shoes.

Abhinivesa is the last of the Five Kleshas (afflictions). Some common translations are clinging to life, fear of death or self -love (small "s"). Yoga offers us a clear methodology for managing our human terror at the prospect of our inevitable disappearance from the planet: "As a robber does not kill a man who carries no precious gems or gold, death cannot destroy those who no longer wear the jewels of their selfish desires. We go through life decked in those desires" (from Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living Vol. 2). This month we continue the process of shedding, we can even take a cue from the trees.