Yoga lessons
My daughter and I have been taking yoga classes recently. It’s been rewarding in many unexpected ways. Here are a couple of lessons I’ve learned along the way.
Lesson 1
Something strange happened to me in the middle of a yoga pose. I suddenly felt like I wanted to cry. I was curious as to where these feelings had come from and amazed at the intensity in which I felt them. It reminded me that often we store our emotions in the body. Our language even illustrates this as we say things like “I have butterflies in my stomach”, “I needed to get that off my chest”, “I feel like a weight has been lifted". As a Reiki practitioner, I have seen emotional releases before. As the practitioner moves her hands along the body, the energy flowing can facilitate a balancing in the recipient's body and a release that is felt not just on the physical level, but the emotional as well. Releasing emotions can be freeing and feel very cleansing especially if they’ve been held in. We may not even know what memory or incident the emotion is attached to, but it's not important. It’s like spring cleaning. We look at what we’ve been carrying around with us and we kind of wonder how we acquired it in the first place! It’s humbling to be a part of or witness a release like this as it brings to mind the great strength, courage and beauty of the human spirit.
Lesson 2
Sometimes, I worry that I’m not doing the yoga poses correctly. Well, in fact, I’m not! :) In one of my classes my teacher corrected me during a pose. I tried to correct myself by straightening up and leaning forward, but I still couldn't get it right. Eventually I did, but what was actually straight and perpendicular felt way off center to me. I’m grateful she pointed it out, since now I can do the pose better and my back and core are stronger for it.
But it got me to thinking about perspective. Without my teacher’s correction, I wouldn’t have known what I was doing right or wrong. There wasn’t a mirror in the room reflecting my pose back to me. This is important. Often times, life works just this way as if our daily experiences reflect back to us the very things we need to learn. These reflections offer us a bigger picture with more perspectives than what we can see on our own. It may not feel like it at first, but with this in mind, we could view these experiences as opportunities to gain insight, gather information, strengthen and grow. This gives us more awareness and freedom to choose new behaviors and lifestyle choices that support who we want to be and what we want to do. Change may be hard, but it’s exciting too, as ultimately it can lead to a more fulfilling life.
It can feel a little uneasy when we are faced with emotions we would rather not have or situations that call for growth. Something happens in the midst of our complex lives and we find ourselves having to re-examine our perceptions. Sometimes this may be easy, while other times it could be life transforming. No one likes feeling vulnerable. But it’s important we give ourselves permission to feel, grow and learn. It helps to keep our sense of humor and a strong sense of compassion. When we remember to soften our hearts toward ourselves and others during these vulnerable moments we create an environment that encourages our best and the best of others!
Be Well,
Alyssa
