Yoga and the Power of Doing Small Things with Great Love

Love is in the air at the great seafood restaurant, La Parilla, one of the Kioskos de Luquillo in the northeast part of Puerto Rico. La comida es muy deliciosa - I highly recommend!

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By chance last month, I ran into a past yoga student of mine from pre-pandemic times. He told me that something I shared in class a long while back has stayed with him all these years. I am always so touched when I hear that the little pearls of wisdom that I offer in class resonate with students, and especially that the passage of time and space hasn't lessened the lesson.
 
The quote, it turns out, was something that Mother Teresa said:
 
"We can do no great things, only small things with great love." 
 
And this is resonating with me a lot right now, particularly in the geopolitical climate we are currently living through. I believe that as yogis, we all know at some level that it is our responsibility to not only change our own individual selves for the better, but the planet as a whole as well. We don’t do our work in isolation, and everything we do does have some effect – positive or negative – out there in the larger world. 
 
And I have no doubt that many of us look at the challenges in the larger world right now and wonder “what can I do?” But because the many problems in the world can feel so overwhelming, we can begin to feel helpless.
 
So, Mother Teresa’s statement may be just the antidote for how many of us may be feeling right now. Time to go local, or hyperlocal even. 
 
I, for one, am constantly on the lookout for small things in my immediate environment that I can do with great love. Even these Yoga e-Letters, I pour a lot of love into them. And I’m so touched when folks let me know these writings are helping them in their lives. Beyond this, when I see small ways that I can help out someone in my immediate environment, I jump on the opportunity to serve God in this seemingly small way. Who knows what large effects the small efforts we make can have on another human being.
 
Martin Luther King, who we commemorated and celebrated this past month, shared a similar sentiment:
 
“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
 
And the Indian philosopher and mystic, Osho, said:
 
Creativity means enjoying any work as meditation; doing any work with deep love. When you understand, whatsoever you do - cooking, cleaning, etc... Life consists of small things; just your ego goes on saying these are small things. You would like some great thing to do - a great poetry, a great painting... Drop the ego and everything is creative.
 
So do not think for a moment that the little and seemingly mundane things you do in your life have no effect. If they are done with great love and attention, they can ripple out and have a huge effect.
 
And, as yoga asana practitioners, who really cares if you can do “great" yoga postures like standing on your head? In some ways that’s easier than doing a relatively simple posture like child’s pose but with great love. 
 
Speaking of doing small things with great love – we’re in the midst of movie awards season and I’ve been screening the movies nominated for the Screen Actors Guild awards. I wanted to give a shout out to these two small movies that were obviously made with a great deal of love:
 
The Last Showgirl … Pamela Anderson leapt out of the screen and into my heart!
Sing Sing … never underestimate the power of the Arts to rehabilitate and heal! 
 
In Buddhist teachings, it’s been said that when the heart can be moved, it’s the start of compassion. Both movies stirred my heart, and I can recommend both!
 
The power of doing small things with great love lies in the fact that each small act creates a Light that ripples out into the world. Unlike darkness – which contracts and draws in and consumes – Light moves outward and illuminates and creates possibilities. Let this please be a small reminder that you are indeed very powerful.
 
May you be happy, …
May you be healthy, …
May you do small things with great love, ...
May your small things done with great love somehow benefit both you and All Beings Everywhere.
 
Aloha and Metta,
Paul Keoni Chun

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My husband and I visited Puerto Rico this past month. I can fully understand now why they call it Isla del Encanto - Isle of Enchantment. Below are some of my favorite scenes. I fell in love, over and over again!

We visited a lechonera, El Rancho Original, in the Guavate area of Cayey in the central mountain region. La Comida (the food) was outstanding and so obviously prepared with much pride. Perhaps a rather small thing in the grand scheme of things, yet you could taste the love in every bite!

View of the Caribbean sky from Luquillo. God obviously was creating with love!

Nature delighted us over and over again at Jardín Botánico y Cultural de Caguas William Miranda Marín in Caguas. Seeing this, I was immediately reminded of my own island roots back in Hawaii and could feel the Aloha - love.

Sculpture in honor of the Taíno Indians, the original human inhabitants of this island paradise, at Jardín Botánico y Cultural de Caguas William Miranda Marín, Caguas. It's so important - especially nowadays - to remember who was here before us.

Una Iglesia (church) in Plaza Las Delicias, Ponce. Clearly, the builders crafted this relatively simple structure with a great deal of love, and the citizens maintain it with a great deal of pride and care.

Back here in NYC, I learned how to make one of my favorite Chinatown dishes - 白切鸡 – bak chit gai - "white cut chicken" with ginger scallion sauce. Turns out, it is a rather simple dish to prepare. I pour a lot of love into my cooking, and it brings me great joy! Kung Hay Fat Choy!