Open-up and Say…Ah-HA!
Once upon a time I was a daily practitioner of a physical yoga practice. While I didn’t do the same sequence every day for the same length of time (as some practitioners are akin to do), I still made sure I was fitting in at least an hour a day, 6-days a week. Well, it was somehow easier when I only had one child…now that I have 3 children (one of whom is an infant that I am still breast-feeding), plus a business with my husband (who now officially works ALL of the time), it is difficult to get that precious time carved out each day.
These days I consider myself extremely lucky to get 3 days a week of a real physical practice…when it’s four days I pinch myself just to make sure I’m not dreaming. On the ‘off’ days that I don’t make it onto a mat I am still using awareness, breathing, and even mantra work to get me through the days, but there is nothing quite as satisfying as a great practice on my black Transformer mat…locked in a private room down at my wellness studio…no phones…no children…no husband…just me, my breath, my body and the opportunity to plug-in to the Divine Source and let that light flow through me as I move from one posture to the next.
Today was one of those lucky days…I had a whole hour to myself. While I’ve struggled a bit since my return (baby Phia is now 3 months old and I’ve been back to a practice for a couple of months), today was one of those days that keeps me coming back for more. Yes, I do know that regular practice and a lot of patience are key in making progress…but I also believe that one’s emotional state and how we handle that are also directly related to how the body responds. It turns out that I’ve been carrying around this emotional ‘baggage’ if you will. I have some real concerns that I’ve been quietly dealing with all by my lonesome for nearly 3 years. In the last couple of weeks I’ve decided to just reach-out…in the last few days in-particular I’ve asked for some specific guidance and assistance from a couple of outside sources. Well, let me just say as eloquently as I can…WHOA, BABY! An enormous weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and while the issue is still present, the fact that I chose to be open about it, seek support within it, and ultimately let-go of the stress/tension/anxiety that I have been holding over it has been wildly cathartic! Within the center of my being I knew that I was feeling more at peace with this particular situation than I had, well, ever! But the proof was in the pudding, as they say…for when I approached my yoga practice today I found myself much more open, balanced, and with more strength than I have had since before this last pregnancy. YES!!! Whoohoo!
While I have logically known that this is how it works, to have that experience today reminded me just how connected even the smallest parts of the body are to the subtle workings of the mind and spirit. It was an “ah-ha!” moment, and I’m really looking forward to re-visiting my mat tomorrow and exploring even more ways of working through restrictions (both physical and mental), and finding myself more open on many different levels.
IndiGlow 