I seem to go through phases of hurrying up to slow down!!
It drives me nuts!! (Yes, yoga teachers also feel the full gamut of emotions! Still a human being last time I slowed down to check!))
Yoga provides many avenues of space for me.
Here are SOME:
Space in the day to practise allows for some “me-time”, whether it’s a 20 minute asana practice, a ten minute meditation or pranayama practice, listening to podcasts and recordings on the Yoga Sutras/yoga philosophy whilst driving to work, a long Savasana on my lunch break or legs up the wall, or going along to one of my favourite led classes – it’s time I need to consciously and decisevley set aside and MAKE happen for me. And yoga is about more than getting along to a class, it can be as little as deciding to behave in a way that is the opposite of my habit (Eg. deciding not to let things drive me nuts!!), which provides a good outcome for all involved … and/or some of the above. I guess it’s about living consciously.
Space in my body, in my spine, my muscles and joints by moving the body slowly, carefully, actively and intelligently … I try to do it on AND off the mat …
Space in my head to stand back and have a good look at myself in order to make efforts to live more consciously … this gives me space from my thinking-mind and my being-self / inner light of awareness, it is SO good to get some space here …
Space to let go of suffering and thoughts, patterns and behaviours that don’t serve me … which in turn, frees up space for more positive thoughts, ideas and behaviours … letting creativity flow … and boy does it! … it flourishes baby!
Because yoga is not just a set of exercises or postures. Yoga can be many things to many people. To me, one of the many things yoga represents and offers to me, is it’s invitation and opening to connect to the divine.
AND ONE NEEDS TO SLOW DOWN IN ORDER TO SENSE THAT CONNECTION.
Lately, I’ve been feeling the need to slow down (this is so bizarre – Alicia Keys’ song ‘Slow Down’ just came over my iPod speakers randomly, as I write this!!).
SO I’M GOING TO. (if that’s not a sign then I don’t know what is!!)
I don’t want this to be a long post – it takes too long to write, then I’ll be rushing to cover everything else that needs doing!, haha! No, really – I just wanted to share this lil video, as it’s helped me get some perspective, firm up some decisions I needed to make, and I find it sort of funny how, sometimes we hear information that we ‘already know’, and yet unintelligently, somehow we are not consciously using it! I guess it’s part of the human condition.
I KNOW all this already … but I still need to hear it every so often … even if my busy mind is blindly focussed on grasping for some new information, something it hasn’t heard before, because it thinks it needs more, when really all it needs is to pause, and listen to what’s already there, deep within, waiting to be revealed. I need to hear it every so often because to slow down helps, it soothes, it affirms … and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Love Li, xo