Autumn & Shoelaces

This past weekend my family went up to Boston to go apple picking with my sister’s family. It was wonderful to be in the warm sunshine with loved ones as we breathed in the scent of the orchard and the smell of cider apple donuts being made in the bake shop. To me, there is no better signature smell to the fall with the exception of those crisp Autumn mornings when the leaves are turning hues of red, orange and gold.

As we were driving away with a car and bellies full of apples, our two kiddos started chittering away in the back seat. Between loud outbreaks of songs about cats and flamingos and shares about soccer strategies, they then started to compare shoes. Who knew? Kai (my son) then asked his cousin if she had learned to tie her shoes and her whole being tensed up. She replied with a curt ‘no!’. She then softened slightly and shared in a stilted voice that it was hard for her and she felt angry. There was a moment of silence between them. In that silence I could hear the wheels turning in his mind. Kai then reached over and squeezed her hand and said, ‘ It’s ok, M. It was hard for me too when I learned and I had to keep relearning it over and over, but we can work on it together until it makes sense.’ Slowly their conversation mingled and the directions and questions turned into giggles which eventually led to a yelp as the knot was tied and the ‘aha’ moment occurred. My throat clenched as my heart swelled and my eyes watered.

In a world where there is so much to learn and where the expectations for proficiency and performance are so high, it is important to take a step back, – especially during times such as these, to clear the slate and allow ourselves to receive the information as many times and in as many ways, until we can allow it to land. The same is as true for our bodies as it is a shoelace. What I appreciate about our practice is that it prompts us to provide ourselves with both time and space to see what we are working with. Yoga and meditation offer us tools to approach the way we move towards and through our minds and bodies as if they were new canvases. At TYC we focus on offering classes that provide encouragement, support, guidance, and space so that we can move through resistance into acknowledgement and understanding in order to fully appreciation the temples of our minds, bodies and spirits, each day.

We look forward to supporting your learning with all of our wonderful fall classes and series.

Take a look at our new schedule and then make the time to relearn how to untie your knots.