One day...
You walk in the front door of the yoga studio, tired, maybe rushed from work. But your body feels tight, your back is sore. It seems to be taking longer than you thought it would to recover from the surgery you had a few months ago. You know you haven't been sleeping well lately. You had a feeling that the burger you had for lunch was going to sit a little heavy in your stomach. "Maybe the salad would have been better." You know you should go home as there is the laundry piling up and the kids are getting behind in school...but you decide to stay a little while and do a yoga class. You know you will feel better, besides, your doctor recommended it. You know there will be more of you willing to smile when you get home an hour and a half later than usual.
A few weeks later...
Your husband just lost his job. "Hmmm, money is going to be tight for a while".
He hasn't been feeling well lately. Yesterday he was really upset. The doctor said he has hypertension.. "I wonder what that really means. I suppose he will be home more now." You know that it will be more difficult for you to get away as he likes to have you around when he is home. "After all, we hardly see each other". You decide to steal some time and go to another yoga class. Your body just feels tight and there is this pain in your hip that just hasn't gone away since you were training for the half marathon. You know you will be home in an hour and a half...well, add fifteen minutes to that for driving, but you would have to drive anyway. You know you will feel better and then when you go home, you may feel like you can last a bit longer without being pulled under.
You feel better. You decide to go next week. Your husband complained when you got home. "He'll get used to it. He usually complains, but then softens a bit."
A few more weeks go by. "You know, people at work say I am easier to get along with since I started yoga. I just feel like I can go to work with a smile. I really feel like I have more patience. Things don't bother me the way they used to."
"This morning, I just felt like having that green tea that they sell at the yoga studio instead of coffee. Coffee seems to be giving me a headache lately, and I just didn't feel like I needed that extra jolt like I normally do. I think I will go to yoga tonight. I really do feel better when I come out of yoga class."
"I used that centering meditation that we do at the beginning of yoga class today at work. Every few hours I slipped into the lounge and centered my mind for a few minutes. It seems a little strange, but I do feel better when I do it. Oddly, even though I thought I took a lot of time off to do that meditation, I seemed to get so much more done. My boss even noticed that I handled that difficult project with so much ease. I was thinking that I might to teach the centering meditation to the members of my team and we can do it before our next meeting. Maybe we will actually get somewhere with all the decisions we have to make."
A few more weeks go by....
"I notice that I am getting stronger. We were moving some boxes at work, and when we have done that in the past, I would always go home with a back pain."
"Today in yoga class I went up in headstand. I haven't done that since I was a kid. I felt so much joy! I never thought I would do that again."
"I haven't felt like eating those sugar buns in weeks. I just don't feel like eating them anymore. I just don't feel well when I eat that much sugar.
A few more weeks go by...
"You know..., that new car was really more than we were planning on spending. I really would like to renovate the kitchen. I am so tired of that olive-green color. The stove is ok, but if we ever want to sell the house, it would be good to have one of those shiny gas stoves like they have on the street of dreams. I think I will skip yoga tonight to save a bit of money. I can go next week. Besides, I feel tired."
A few more weeks go by...
"Hmmm, it's been a while since I have been to a yoga class... I am just so busy...I have to drive Joey to soccer and now the piano teacher moved so Sara can't take the bus anymore..."
More time passes...
"Oh, my body just feels a little tight. It just takes me so long to wind down at night. Maybe tonight I will try a glass of wine before bed. That should be relaxing."
Several months later, at the market...
You bump into a friend from yoga when you are picking up a few things. "Hey, how are you?" "Oh, I am great. I finally got up in handstand. My shoulders used to be so tight from sitting at the computer all day and much of the night. I thought they would never open up. It has taken this long. Hey, come to think of it, I haven't seen you lately".
"Yea, I just got busy at work and you know, since Michael lost his job he has been a little reluctant to spend money on anything extra...."
Don't let your ego talk you out of growing your Light.
This is my prayer for every student who begins the path of yoga.
Epilogue
"Yoga" is the journey from the world of the ego or the mind, to the world of the heart, the consciousness of the soul in the body. As soon as the ego catches on that something is about to change, it begins to use its energy and its creativity to dissuade us from going in search of our true self. The ego has a difficult time understanding the bigger picture, so resists change and has been known to put up with enormous discomfort, rather than give in to the changes that the spirit is trying to create in our bodies and our lives. The spirit is always trying to guide us towards choices that will take us towards the true healing of our bodies, minds and lives.
The ego will often use very clever and reasonable arguments to rationalize and justify its fears. However, it is only by going into the Light in the heart that we can see through the arguments of the ego and continue the journey to our true self in the heart.
Sandra Storwick is a Certified Purna Yoga teacher. She has been teaching Yoga and Meditation since 1994. For more information about Sandra, see goldlotusyoga.com goldlotusyoga.com. For more information about Purna Yoga meditation, see aadilandmirra.com/?tag=omega-conference aadilandmirra.com/?tag=omega-conference.
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