Acceptance

 

Today I rediscovered my yoga practice after more than 6 months off the mat.  Was it what I wanted it to be? No. My body doesn't want to move into the positions it previously found easily.  My butt was in the air for child's pose rather than resting on my heels.  And, rather than being a long energetic practice filled with heat and movement, I chose to do a brief yin practice filled with slow floor poses and gentle stretches.  As I laid in savasana (resting pose) at the end of my practice, a thought entered my head - Acceptance.  Today was all about letting go of control and accepting where I am now, right in this moment.  

Accepting the present moment can be challenging.  I find this to be especially true when I'm super-stressed or simply in a competitive mode.  At these times I'm reminded of what one of my favorite yoga teachers used to say in class whenever he saw us pushing too hard: "Yoga is not a competition - not even with yourself."  Even so, accepting where things are can be incredibly frustrating. I think this is why I find yin practices so difficult.  It's not the gentle stretching.  It's the forcing myself to sit with myself quietly and trying to listen to my body rather than forcing it into poses it isn't ready for.  But, whenever I do a yin class, I always feel better afterwards.  Through the challenges, I find my breath and (at least momentarily) a sense of peace.

My go-to reaction is to control as much as possible around me.  This usually looks like excessive cleaning, picking at every bit of lint that I see, pulling out notebooks and my bullet journal supplies, and forgetting to pay attention to what I actually need. I also tend to get hung up on one thing.  That one thing always varies.  It can be setting up a new routine, new diet, redecorating or rearranging a room, or anything that has me changing the status quo. My thoughts will get hung up on it to the point where it almost becomes an obsession. But, there is only so much control you can exert on the world. Storms will come.  The wind will blow.  But, that doesn't have to impact how we feel or the stress we feel.  We only have to accept the present moment - just as it stands.  If the present moment is unpleasant, then it will pass by with the next breath.  And, if it's something enjoyable, focusing on the moment allows us to fully appreciate it rather than missing it.

Be the mountain.  Let the wind blow by.  Let the storms pass.  There's nothing you need to do except breathe.

If you need some inspiration this week, check out this guided meditation posted by Palouse Mindfulness  in YouTube.  It's modeled after Jon Kabat-Zinn's mountain meditation:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SwnJ6kqpa0