Over the past couple of weeks my family was stuck in the mire of sickness and injury. The recent rains from the sky mirrored the deluge upon our immune systems and the mud that it created reflected the stuck feeling that all three of us felt when the first part of vacation turned into the remainder of a quarantine at home. Our plans to travel to warmer climates and visit family vaporized at the click of a computer button.
It was a deflating experience at best.
Leading up to this point were the press of deadlines, tests, work and the laundry list of all normally scheduled commitments. We were stumbling to the finish line of vacation with no fuel in our tanks and we tripped and landed face down pretty hard. The rigidity and inflexibility of expectation bowed to reveal a series of cleared days that lay in an unbroken chain-a blank canvas if you will.
Time and time again, life has circled back to provide the lessons and wisdom of unmarked space. This time was no different. On this particular trip what became abundantly clear was how overpowering the lull of all expectations had become. Our proverbial wheels were spinning in wants and anticipation.
For the first few days we slept, read, and sat with one another in our neutral gears. As our symptoms dissipated, so too did the metaphorical pool of sludge beneath us. We began to find inertia as we lifted our feet gently from tacky ground, and found the traction to venture out for walks and rides to experience the beauty that was all around us in the blooming trees and the scent of the warm air.
What seemed like a curse actually revealed itself as a blessing when we loosened the grip and began to experience life simply, honestly, and in the present.
The time on our mats is no different.
We never know where our minds and bodies are until we land on that 2X 6 piece of rubber or in a silent seat. Often times the plan is to have a ‘kick ass’ practice, to ‘let it be’, to rest, or to reach a ‘peak’ pose. While these are all understandable wants, the reality may be very different and their labels or identifications of what makes a practice ‘good’ when we attain them or ‘bad’ when we don’t looms over us as the teacher within us emerges to show us the truth of where we are within a few steady breaths.
The next time we find our seats, hands, and feet together, let’s encourage one another to draw upon patience and curiosity to see what emerges. Without expectation or condemnation, let’s explore our classes and workshops as a way to engage in the practice of presence in any situation as a way to let our sands settle and the waters clear.
With Love-
Sharon and your Friends at TYC