Another day of children, homework, and YOGA. I tried yet another new sequence..."peak poses".....should be called "extreme thigh and balance workout" cuz this one had me sweating and constantly reminding myself to breath... don't push too hard! I think I'll do something slow tomorrow, my muscles are awake enough already! Plus....today I'm talking about baby steps. DID you know....that many yoga poses were created from the natural way that babies move? The picture above of a child, barely walking, has put herself into "downward dog" in order to work her way up to standing. "Child's pose' is often a favorite sleeping position...their cute little butts in the air, arms outside their little legs, and head to the side...yup~ yoga poses work well with a child's body because they have yet to create all those nasty blocks due to stress and physical wear and tear that we adults inflict on ourselves.
I currently teach music together classes with babies and toddlers and watch my 12 month old nephew and 5 year old niece. I marvel over their joy of the "moment"....their perseverance with new tasks...their carefree way of living...they don't care if they are dirty, they don't care what is on the agenda for dinner...they only care about what is happening in the moment. They are constantly exposed to new toys, new people, new places... they have no other choice but to accept these new things. My nephew Kai will sit with a toy or a door or whatever it is that happens to be there and move it around until he figures out how it works....and my niece Neena may at first be afraid of that 'talking toy", but give her a month and she is now best friends with the thing.
I think about these gifts that children give in their curiosity as they evolve and adapt to their surroundings and how, at some point in my life, I began avoiding things and people that I thought might be "too hard," "too scary," "not my type," etc. I think about how easy it is to try something for a week and then give up because you haven't mastered it yet...this is how we live...the quick fixes! Well, here I am 6 days in and I'm not looking like those girls in the videos yet, but I am certainly not going to give up. I choose to live my life through the eyes of a determined child, hungry for life.
And so, here are my BABY STEPS so far in this yoga journey!
Baby Step number 1: Make a commitment to yourself - 21 Days of Devotion!
Baby Step number 2: Begin!!!!! "When the time is upon you, start! and the pressure will be
off" - Yogi Bahjan
Baby Step number 3: Acceptance - very important key to allowing yourself to modify poses, "I love myself where I am right now" (repeat, repeat....esp. when you can't do that bridge pose cus your shoulders aren't open and blah blah blah!)
Baby Step number 4: Forgive - the resentment, the self judgment, the pity, the victim consciousness, the past relationships, ETC! and this is as far as I have gotten....
Last night I decided to do my meditation on forgiveness. After talking about my "control issues" yesterday I thought of all the people in my life that I have tried to change....mostly because I felt that they weren't living their highest potential, and how I would hold onto that vision instead of accepting them and forgiving both myself and them for not being who "I wanted them to be." If you know me, I'm sure you have heard me give a lecture about how your behavior or words aren't in alignment with a "positive outcome" or "what you really want to manifest in your life." YEaa....I know, I am one big feather... Well, through acceptance and forgiveness I am beginning to shift into what is actually being given to me...what gift and what lesson I am learning.
I believe that we are all mirrors of each other...and I am ready to take another look at myself...although this time I will pull my head out of the clouds and plant my feet in the ground. I believe that every wound has a lesson, a gift....even if it takes years to realize. Last night's mediation was and IS big for me....I'll be working on this one for the rest of my life because I don't think forgiveness is one of those quick fixes. You may be able to take a pill to hide your emotions so that you can avoid the forgiveness...but why not just begin the process....and free yourself from the resentment over that someone or situation from the past. Living with acceptance in my breath and forgiveness in my steps.....forgiving in every moment...staying open to possibilities...and accepting all of the mirrors that cross my path...
Namaste, Sat Nam ~ Blessings
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