Getting--and Staying--Present
I can't believe it's June 15 already. It means only 3 days until my first Wombs, Wisdom and Women's Work meeting (more info here). Then Father's Day, then my mom's birthday, then family vacation, then Releasing the Burden of Eden (enter to win $15 off & a free book)...it's never ending.
Life seems to only speed up.
Sometimes, it moves so fast that I forget to allow myself to enjoy it. Sometimes, it feels like I'm running from activity to responsibility and back again so quickly that I catch myself on autopilot--answering people with cliches because I don't feel like I have the time or brain power to come up with a real response. Patting my son on the head without registering what he's actually trying to show me. Clicking through without registering what I'm reading.
That's when I need my practice most.
Most of you already know that yoga is great for slowing down your inner chatter, for helping you be more present, and for remembering what you're doing. Half of us came to the mat specifically for help with this stuff. But why is it that it 'stops working'?
Because it becomes just another check on the list.
Once you've been practicing for a while, it becomes second nature. Breath. Feet. Arms. Fingers. You go through the checklist and everything is where it's supposed to be, and then you move on to the next posture. Again and again, asana after asana, move-checklist-move-checklist until it's just another thing that you have to do.
Yoga is in the in-between moments. It's the resting in the pose. It's when the internal checklist stops, when the mind is clear, the body is engaged, and the breath is smooth.
When movement becomes focused concentration, the concentration becomes meditation, and the meditation becomes bliss.
Samadhi. Oneness.
The melting away of the rest of the world and settling into true presence.
Once that becomes your focus--not just 'doing' the poses but truly showing up to your mat to be present--there's a shift. Away from ticking the boxes and toward feeling genuinely alive. And the more often we get there, the easier it is to carry into our day-to-day.
That's how we begin to breathe through the emotions that arise during hard conversations. How we find the patience to get cut off on the road to work, yelled at by a coworker, run ragged by our boss, cut off on the way home, and still hug our spouse/child/pet/mom/whoever when we get there--and truly listen to and interact with them. When you can hold that Warrior 3 for 5 minutes without your brain going 'Ugh I hate her' or ' I can't do this', you can hold that peacefulness through an entire day.
This is why we practice.
See you on the mat.
