Day 51: The Call to Prayer and the Call to Presence
Abu Dhabi, Navigating Trauma, Teaching, and the Practice of Being
Tonight, while teaching an online Yoga Sutra Studies class at 6:00 PM Abu Dhabi time, the call to prayer echoed through the loudspeakers. It happens five times a day - and the last call (mahgrib) every evening at 6:30 PM, just as the sun sets over the city. The call to prayer pulled me out of the teaching mind for a moment, and I remembered that I was back in Abu Dhabi (where I lived for five years, until 2021). I looked up at the sky and thought, Wow. Abu Dhabi is so calm that even the clouds don’t move.
The call to prayer happens several times a day, and for me, whenever I am in the Middle East and hear it, it is a moment of meditation. When I first lived in Kuwait, in 2015, the speakers blared right outside my window, jolting me awake in the early hours. I never thought I’d grow to love this sound, yet ten years later, it’s a sound of home, a sound that grounds me, a sound of peace.
The words of the prayer are:
1. Allahu Akbar (الله أكبر) – God is the Greatest
2. Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah (أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله) – I bear witness that there is no god but Allah
3. Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasul Allah (أشهد أن محمدًا رسول الله) – I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah
4. Hayya ‘ala as-Salah (حي على الصلاة) – Come to prayer
5. Hayya ‘ala al-Falah (حي على الفلاح) – Come to success
6. Allahu Akbar (الله أكبر) – God is the Greatest
7. La ilaha illa Allah (لا إله إلا الله) – There is no god but Allah
The moment of tuning into the prayer helped me tune into the moment.
The Yoga Sutras and the Separation of Mind and Soul
Today’s Yoga Sutra Study class focused on Yoga Sutras 4.22 - 4.26, which discuss the disconnection between purusha (the soul) and prakriti (the material world).
Sutra 4.22 reminds us to sit with the mind and observe its patterns. Psychology might say, Learn about trauma responses, while yoga asks us to sit and witness the mind’s nature. Witness “I am having a trauma response.”
Sutra 4.23 brings to mind a high school game where we held up a sheet between two people and dropped it suddenly—it was a race to name the person on the other side. This sutra is like that moment when the mind (citta) and soul (purusha)recognize each other. It’s the moment when the curtain or veil drops, and we cognitively become aware that we have a soul and a mind and they are not the same. They are two separate things.
Sutra 4.24 teaches that the mind (citta) exists to help purusha experience the world. The mind belongs to Alexandra, but purusha is not Alexandra. It is the spirit that travels through lifetimes.
Sutra 4.25 reminds us that once we recognize this differentiation, we begin to see the world differently. We stop identifying with ownership—of our bodies, our businesses, our identities.
Sutra 4.26 teaches that once we see this separation clearly, we move toward liberation. Viveka—discernment—changes everything. It’s a special way of seeing. It’s now time for Kaivalya. For liberation.
I ended the class and told my students, as always, This was exactly what I needed to hear today. I needed to reread the things I once wrote. I am not Alexandra. It is true that these traumatic things happened to Alexandra, but I am not her. She is the vehicle, the body carrying my purusha, my soul. Even though she has experienced fear in the last ten days, my body is simply the vessel through which my soul will reach liberation.
Trauma in the Body, Trauma in Practice
Even though I intellectually understand all of this, I cannot deny that trauma is still actively present in my physical body. Lately, my practice has shifted dramatically. The fascinating thing is that this is the first time I’ve experienced something like this but have had such a solid meditation practice that I can literally feel how trauma is lingering in my nervous system. Asana feels too overwhelming—I can’t inhabit my body right now. But I can chant mantras, and when I do, memories surface. My subconscious is piecing things together, offering aha moments.
This afternoon I had a chanting session with Anvita. As I meditated, memories arose, pulling me from the present into the past. I said to her that I have a new perspective on trauma-informed yoga teaching. For the first time, I’m sober, actively teaching, and processing trauma simultaneously. And now, I understand firsthand why trauma-sensitive teaching is so vital.
The Importance of Trauma-Informed Yoga
This is why, for example, in trauma-informed yoga, we say: Close your eyes, or keep them open if that feels safer. Trauma-informed teaching gives students autonomy over their choices, and invitations to do what is right for them. Right now, closing my eyes feels terrifying. For example, during a recent online group meditation, I locked my door to feel secure. But when the teacher invited us back with his voice after twenty minutes of silence, I still jumped in fear that someone else was in the room (even though I knew the door was locked and no one could be).
I told Anvita about this, and she reminded me to be gentle with myself. Processing will take time. And I know that despite this, I am more than capable of teaching yoga this weekend on the retreat. Rolf says that teaching is medicine, and I believe him.
Get Out and Be Of Service
Everyone’s response to trauma is different. Some people suggested I stay in Bali, cancel my retreat, and just take care of myself right now. But I know from past experience that the worst thing I can do is to stay home and isolate, and the best thing I can do when I’m experiencing challenges is to get out and be of service. Take the focus off me and onto someone else.
This weekend, I’m teaching at a retreat, and everyone that is coming are students of mine who have done many retreats with me in the past. We’re also in a hotel that I’ve hosted several retreats at, too. The whole thing will be very soothing on my nervous system. And even though this story is presently real for me right now - I intend to keep the focus on the students. Not because I’m avoiding processing my experience, but because my purpose is to hold space for their healing, not mine. When you’re feeling sadness, get out and be of service. And that’s what I am about to do.
What Is a Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher?
My online 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training and in person 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training (in Bali) are both Trauma-Informed trainings. A trauma-informed yoga teacher creates a space of safety, choice, and empowerment, integrating an understanding of how trauma affects the body and mind. I am excited to be teaching another online YTT starting in March and an in person YTT starting in July.
Why This Work Matters
Many students arrive at yoga carrying invisible wounds. Trauma isn’t just in the mind—it’s stored in the body and nervous system. Yoga can be healing, but it can also be triggering if not facilitated with care. A trauma-informed approach helps students rebuild trust in their bodies, emotions, and the present moment.
So, here I am, in this in-between space. I feel so grateful to be in the city of Abu Dhabi - if there is one place in the world for me that is a synonym for calm, it is here. Abu Dhabi is about introspection and deep presence. The vast desert, the organized roads, and everywhere you see is blue. This is exactly where I needed to be right now. Sitting with the story. Processing it. And reminding myself that while these experiences happened to my body, they did not happen to me. Because I am not my body, I am my soul.
Connecting to this truth is my practice right now.
Gratitude Corner
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