March 1: Standing in Strength

True strength requires receptivity and suppleness.

The outer world is merely a reflection of our inner world. When the world reflects back our unrefined shadows, we must stand with the strength of a warrior.

There is a place in our center where balance is derived.  At this core we have the strength to endure, to ground, and to root.  The tricky part is to remain infinitely supple while engaging this strength.  It is only when we continue to receive and respond to the world around us, while also maintaining a strong connection to our core essence, that we have the ability to weather any storm.

I am a very sensitive person.  I have to really watch my energy around negativity and judgment. It is an important lesson for me in this lifetime to learn to take the nugget of wisdom in every situation, but to never wound myself in the process.

Upon greater reflection, I see myself as someone with an insatiable thirst for personal growth.  I am a seeker, awaiting the next opportunity to be a better person and to offer more positive and less negative energy to the world.  Often this has me pining for lessons.  While this enthusiasm is good, it often has me handing away my power to anyone willing to “teach me a lesson.”

I’m grateful that the world has sent me sages and gurus, trustworthy individuals that have shown me the way through love and understanding.  But the truth is, I have learned as much, if not more, from those individuals that show up in the wrathful form to teach me to stand tall in the face of challenge.

Yoga is one of many physical practices that teach us how to find and hold our center in the face of varying levels of challenge and intensity.  The asana practice, much like the world around us, changes form, but the essence of our focus must remain the same.  Connect to your core, locate and honor the breath, and release any harmful tension.

Asana Practice: I am continuing to work with the standing poses in my ashtanga mysore class.  Specifically, I learned a new way to enter and work with revolved triangle that I look forward to sharing when I start uploading videos.

Revolved triangle is a very difficult pose for me.  In the past I’ve had trouble finding my breath in the pose, and the overall experience was that my body was a sling shot pulled to full capacity.

The teachers I am working with emphasize the grounding qualities of the legs in revolved triangle.  By grounding first, I was able to experience a deep twist without feeling rigid and wobbly.  The pose naturally limits the capacity of the lungs.  However, from a place of groundedness, I could use my breath to massage my spine longer and my twist deeper.  I found my warrior strength and perseverance.

In every moment, in every breath, we have a choice of whether to collapse in the face of challenge, or instead to access the deep strength within.

Lesson Learned: In yoga, as in life, if we connect to our core while maintain a relationship with our breath (also known as prana or life force), we will have all the support we need to respond to the changing circumstances around us.