a quiet space where wisdom can speak and be heard...

For those following what I am doing with the yoga challenge, I am on day 9 and I have never felt stronger and healthier.  Far from being a debilitating exercise where I push through for the bragging rights of saying I did yoga each day for 30 days, I am finding it to be an incredible journey with learning each day.  Well, you are only on Day 9, you might say.  I might have said that as well, already on Day 3 but now I know better. I know that the feeling of walking taller, of feeling stronger, of not wanting any junk food to eat, of realizing with a shock that I lost 2 lbs “just like that” in a week,  of tapping into my inner wisdom, of visiting with my yoga mat each and every day that special place where quiet resides and wisdom can speak and be heard.  I also visit the mat with issues of the day and find them resolved or set in a clearer context when I depart again.  And yes, there are ongoing pressures that melt away in the presence of yogic atmosphere. 

What have I learned so far in 9 days:

1. That challenge is a part of living a full life. If we did not challenge ourselves for ourselves sake, we live in a box, a container of our own making;

2.  It is not about winning but about showing up and being fully present for the instruction; the atmosphere; the physical movement; the inner movement;  the other people practising with you and yet on their own; for the union of mind, body and soul and for the learning;

3.That you can resist going back to sleep at 5.30 am when you have a higher purpose inspiring you to get up out of bed;

4.That your feet and hands have four corners and rooting them into the mat makes you strong and steady; 

5.That if you surrender to heat even though you hate heat, you learn you can survive, and a lot of the fuss was your own drama in your head;

6.What you see on the mat, you see in your life;

7. That this is not so much of a challenge as it is medicine for the soul;

8.This daily appointment with myself and my mat is life changing;

9. That it is not all on me; I can trust something bigger than myself;  I feel it in my heart and in the phsyical practice of yoga; I can ask for help and support;

10. Commitment to  and accountability around your unique resonant goal/s creates meaningful action in your life in all areas.

I finish the summary so far with this quote:

“Moment after moment, completely devote yourself to listening to your inner voice”

- Shunryu  Suzuki

Namaste,

Karen