Friday, September 24, 2010

Less is more

It's amazing that every time I step onto my mat, something new rears it's occasionally ugly head. I had always known that I had an "interesting" body type to work with being that I'm hyper mobile in my joints but little did I know what that really meant. It wasn't until a few months ago when I was in a car accident that left me with a severe to moderate bulging disc in my lower back that I truly understood how important it is to respect where you are in your body's abilities.

Prior to my accident, I had a pretty strong practice. I was getting to a place where I felt confident in poses so I'd hold them longer and breathe deeper. I had made a decision to leave a well paying job in order to pursue teaching fulltime and things were going swimmingly. I had set forth a clear intention to move my life in another direction but ultimately the universe had other plans for me. Though I had already left my job and began teaching, I had to learn the art of balance. My body was not as in a good of a place as it was before my accident. I was deeply humbled by this experience and also learned the art of compassion for my students that also come from injuries or other similar emotional and physical trauma. 

Most importantly, I learned that one must truly learn their limits. Whether it be in relationships, with food, with their bodies or in how much they spend. Through my accident I walked away with a golden disc of wisdom. I now respect my hyper-mobility and am working more on training my muscles to support the joints that so easily move this way that way and the other. I refrain from doing all my chatturangas and I'll take a child's pose here and there. I teach with more consciousness and attention to detail.  I also now understand what my teacher Rod Stryker slyly threw into a lecture many months prior..."Do less, see more." At the time, I thought it was a profound statement but it wasn't until it was put into practice that I completely got it's essence. My practice is simpler today than it was months ago but I have gotten back to the root of why I began doing yoga in the first place. I once again experience the everlasting bliss that comes with surrender. Through being more present and effortless in my practice I've matured ten fold. Though the wisdom will continue to reveal itself as the years pass, I hope next time I won't need anymore goddess-smacks to get Shiva's golden disc.