Yoga can be an experience of body-tending, mindful breathing, moving meditation, and wordless, non-thinking sensation. Yoga practice offers an opportunity to retreat from the outer world of influence and stimulation, to an inner world of inner being, doing and witnessing. Your yoga practice can be the right time and safe space to access to experience your authentic self. On your mat, you get to look like you do, experience what you experience, create the posture and movement that works for your body, be aware of only yourself and make your own informed choices. On your mat, you can embody your true self and discover ways of safely sharing your true self with your world.
Life can be a whirlwind, For me, it usually seems that way and I do feel blessed to experience life so fully...and yet, it is exhausting! Losing a beloved pet (Lenny passed Aug 16), a big wedding (Sept 5) and a wonderfully exciting honeymoon, a new career as faculty with Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy - all of these events happening over the course of the past 9 months, and I found myself suddenly deflated. I was tired, uninspired and mentally cloudy. I knew that I needed to get to my yoga mat to retreat into myself, but I avoided it. I knew that retreating into myself meant that I would also encounter the grief and exhaustion of all that I was holding unprocessed in my body, mind and soul. But unprocessed life becomes more and more uncomfortable to hold, so I went to my mat and retreated into my body.
The first thing I encountered was a felt sense that t I could trust the process encountering my grief and exhaustion as it would unfold in my body. I remained present with my breath and body. I responded to what I felt in my muscles, posture and heart. I moved with my breath, my awareness focused moment-to-moment on my experience. I began to let movement come from a non-thinking, more intuitive place within. Listening to my body released tension from my neck. I heard small pops and felt better with each natural adjustment. My body had a wisdom all its own, and my mind just watched and rested. I cried and missed Lenny, then came back to my breath and body experience. I thought of Scott and our honeymoon, and then came back to my breath and body experience. I worried about new opportunities in my career as much as I celebrated them, and then once again returned to breath and body.
And when I felt complete, I opened my eyes and re-emerged from my inner space. I wanted my practice to make a real difference in the way I was experiencing life, so I took a moment to consider what I was taking away. I realized just how mentally supportive and comforting it was to return to the present moment experience. And I knew that I could apply this realization to my life - when I noticed whirlwind, I could return to present moment experience even for a few breaths to support my mind clearing and feelings settle. This supports me in processing my experience, rather than hold onto it. It makes it easier for me to share that some days I really miss my dog and some days I am walking on sunshine as a newlywed and some days I am trying to find the words to express what I truly have to say. Everyday that I can be present to myself, I can be ME!
Stop thinking yourself into existence. Just BE Here Now.
Fully, Totally, Authentically You!
