Monday, December 13, 2010

Yin and Yang

I would say that yoga in and of itself is a very Yin practice and within that there is a lot of Yang. I didn't realize this until I attended the 'Yin class' last night. It was a great practice of finding stillness amongst all sensations. My intention going in was 'forgiveness' mostly for myself.

We sat in poses, more like stretches for what seemed like an eternity in each one. Each stretch taking a part of me to total resistance, to peace, to new understanding of being safe in my body, safe in my world. The stretches focused on the hips, which is an area that takes on all sorts of emotions, so it was no surprise to me when my solar plexus starting talking to me last night before I went to bed. Emotions rising into the emotional centre....ya think there are some links here?! And I say that to make people aware that our bodies, our energies and their centres....ALL CONNECTED, all working together to help us heal and become conscious and aware again.

What that yin practice taught me was that I am safe, there is no need for me to hold on to the known or unknown, and when I let go I can find my peace, wherever I am.

Then this morning at 4:44am when I opened my eyes I thought it was just another one of those mornings. I acknowledged the sequence of numbers, said thank you for the sign and closed my eyes again...for all of 10mins before I realized, there was no going back to sleep. So I checked out the schedule for yoga, checked if there was a bus and dragged my ass to the 6:30am yoga session. The crazy part is that dragging my ass isn't entirely true. Yes I was tired and didn't really want to walk all the way to the bus stop, but that feeling like on Saturday about needing to be at the 2pm session was there again. I had to make the 6:30 session. So I went. Note to self- you know you're listening to your intuition when you get out of bed before 6 to catch a bus to yoga.

I'm glad I went. It was the yang to the yin. The perfect contrast between the two with all the Warrior poses and balance poses and flow sequences...ah yes and the sweat! It was also good for me to go because my practice was entirely different today than it had ever been. My body has adjusted itself and what used to be super easy has now become challenging. My body isn't flexing and stretching like it did last week. There are new limitations that I can feel in my hips. Neither good nor bad. I look at it as good because it means my body is healing something. And as stiff as I was I was greatful it was early because I really allowed myself to be where I was in that moment because I had nothing else to give. I was half asleep.

So my practice wasn't great in terms of what I know I am capble of, but it was great in terms of allowing myself to be where I am and to be happy with that. To know that I have room for improvement, that rest is essential and that being human means being dynamic, always changing is a priceless pearl. In its application I can see that I come across roadblocks because I am growing and expanding. I can stress out or I can just be and work through it or around it. Kind of like railways through mountains....ya think those might have been a bit of a roadblock for the construction of those rails? I'm sure at some point they were, but they relaxed and figure out how to go through them or around them. Or both!

The icing on the cake though was when I went to catch the bus and made my own day! Last night at the bus stop at W4th and Alma, the glass was all fogged up...and I was bored...so I wrote all sorts of uplifting comments and quotes. THEY WERE STILL THERE THIS MORNING! I got to walk out into the, now awake world, and see my happiness shared on the bus stop glass. I wonder if anyone else saw it? Who cares...I did and it made my day! I'd do it all over again if that's all it takes to make my morning bright! ;)

What lit up your day today?

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