Every moment matters and that's why we train to be present in our yoga and meditation practices. It comes in handy when we want to soak up the moments like catching a double rainbow on your way home from running errands. It really comes in handy in the moments that aren't as lovely and magical, because those moments matter as well.
I was put to the test many so many times last week that it almost became a comical exchange between me and the universe. Anniversary of a sad event...can you sit with this without running away, flinching or fighting? A good friend's personal suffering? Changing conditions? A dental emergency? Uncertainty?
All of these situations and circumstances and the lovely moments are part of life. Like the taoist symbol of Yin and Yang, you can't have one without the other. There are no absolutes in life. Isn't that good news?
Of course when it comes to mindfulness and presence it is sooooo much easier to sit with the good stuff. But can we also use our practices to be in the not so good stuff too? Can we observe and let what we are experiencing be present without trying to manipulate, manage, fight or control the moment? Just for 5 minutes? Maybe 10?
What's in it for us when we do this? Is it more suffering? Are we soaking up the not so good stuff and feeling worse?
No, what we are doing is meeting ourselves where we are and in the settling into the present moment, we are seeing what is real in this moment and experiencing grief, fear, anger, doubt and hatred. We see that and then can invite in courage, strength, compassion, wholesome doubt, love and equanimity.
Last week I had a dental situation that had to be handled with urgency despite my fears and concerns about costs, pain and how this was going to impact my schedule - all the things I wanted to control. I had all the bad feels about this all at once and got uprooted with the swirl of it all. In the heat of the moment, I was up to my ears in suffering. I totally resisted sitting with it until I got in the endodontist's chair and decided that I needed to practice breathing and meditating as she rev'd up the drill. My brain was swirling with all the 'what ifs' she was disclosing before the procedure. Inside, I was flying out of the seat and bouncing off the walls. As I shifted into being with my breath, I started to hear her in a different way. I started to let things be and let them unfold. I couldn't control the moment. I needed to surrender to the moment and allow the Dr. to do her thing. She was well qualified and experienced. She knew what she was doing and she was calm. I sat there as a patient and a witness. I can't even remember how long it took because I was just being. I didn't feel pain. I felt vibrations and pressure and heard her calming voice checking in with me and communicating with her assistant. And then it was over. I was filled with gratitude for the Dr.'s expertise, transparency, and empathy. I was grateful and calm. Checking out, I wasn't angry with the admin for handing me the bill. I had empathy for her having to hand people bills they didn't want all day. In the recovery from this procedure, I have met the discomfort with awareness and followed up with compassion for myself.
"Hey, it works!" Of course it does. I just need to put it to work, not just when I see a double rainbow, but when I feel life tugging on the other end too. I need to remember that it works for the bad stuff too when I feel it coming, rather than in the aftermath. Being human, we all get caught off guard. Being yogis, we know what to do.
I hope this helps you meet yourself wherever you are this week. Not that I anticipate you suffering, but I do recognize that we move through all these things all the time - it's part of the human experience. When we can see all of our life, it gets broader, more meaningful and we have the potential to open ourselves up to way more self compassion and compassion and gratitude for all that we encounter in life.
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I'm taking it easy this week with a slimmer schedule as the new schedule changes will start shifting into place next week:
Gentle Soothing Yoga will be moving to Mondays at 10 am. I appreciate the feedback from you on that class.
Next week, Jon and I will be taking a mini-vacation (first since Sept '19) so there will be no classes on 7/28 and 7/29.
The first week of August will be the shift to the expanded In Person classes and the shift of Live Stream Slow Flow to Wednesdays at 5:30 pm.
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So the mantra this week is, "Every Moment Matters!" Sit with it all!
Peace, Love and Summer's Fire!
Andrea
Below are the reminders of what is going on and coming up!
Drop in for July In Person Classes!
August In Person Classes - Tuesdays and Thursdays are open for registration!
