Do you ever feel like your whole life has prepared you for this moment? A moment where you have a chance to step up and shine or soldier on like a warrior? What helps you through difficult times? I feel like my past experiences have prepared me for this week’s challenges. At least that’s what I feel. I hope that I’m right. And if I’m not, then it’s only me who’s unproductively judging myself!
And so on reaching the top of my mountain walk today, I see the grass is overgrown, giving me an excuse to skip my usual Kundalini yoga practice. Instead, I sit in stillness and contemplate the larger view, life’s bigger picture. And yet I see people with heads down in their mobile devices, disengaging from this perfect moment, missing the chance to pause and reconnect with a sense of wholeness. My breathing slows down to meet the quiet space inside my heart, and I know, beyond all the spiralling worries, this place is a refuge of peace. The grass sways in the breeze and moves me on.
I find myself invigorated and alive after a healthy dose of exercise. Arriving home on my yoga mat, I move into Savasana, my safe personal space, the yoga posture I most visit when simplicity and clarity is needed. My body’s limbs fall equally away from my spinal centre as they become supported by the earth’s solidity. A rolled towel supports my neck and allows the heaviness of my head to dissipate from my neck. The tension in my spine quickly dissolves and I have arrived.
I immediately take a cleansing deep breath to completely let go on all levels. I can do this quickly as it’s familiar territory after years of practice. I settle in to doing nothing, blissfully nothing. But in that nothingness everything unfolds ... the future what ifs, the hardness under my body, the brush of my cat’s tail. Yet the key to continuing in Savasana effectively is learning to be detached from what arises. Being actively engaged in relaxation, not sleepy, is the key and doing nothing but being a silent witness. Some days it’s tricky to remain detached yet aware through this process … after all, life is led by the senses constantly relaying messages to think, to say and to do. But in this sacred space, all is still and I begin to feel whole again. I feel empowered, strong and positive.
After 20 minutes it’s time to move with mindfulness, to hear with mindfulness, to see with mindfulness, and my mind is present and clear. I am awake and whole. I have the space to respond, not react, to the day’s challenges.
And I know my awareness of the breath will be with me throughout the day.
I haven’t done yoga, I am yoga.
Om shanti
Kendra
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