Icarus? (and a sense of wonder)
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I still have the sense of the miraculous that I could have woken up in my own bed at a reasonable hour and then had lunch in Denver with my friend Robert on the same day. I am not sure that flying itself has the hubris of Icarus, but not marveling at it and complaining of relatively minor delays and discomfort to be able to shift one’s place in space so quickly, that is a different story.
In another world or time, most of what we take for granted would be thought magic. My sitting here at the computer and sending these words out is its own magic, as was turning on the lights and taking a hot shower in my room.
What will seem magical and wondrous for you today?
Off to the Anusara Teachers’ Gathering
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I am looking forward to seeing my friends and colleagues, studying, and practicing. I hope to have wonderful things to share on my return.
Scary Asana Poses (and how they can serve us)
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It is a good thing, I think, to do what one can to prepare for eventualities, to take reasonable precautions. It is not optimal, though, to allow fear and anxiety prevent us from living fully each day. I choose to continue to face fear and discomfort in my asana practice, as well as just doing the poses for which I have an innate affinity. I practice poses that bring up fear, dislike, discomfort, and general aversion. I do not ignore my fears and discomforts. I learn why I have them; I practice more assiduously the preparatory strengthening or stretching poses that will give me more support in the deeper poses, so that I can be in a place where I know when my fears are appropriate cautions and when they are unnecessary anxiety.
By practicing the poses that are scary and uncomfortable and learning how to stay grounded, present, and even joyous while doing so, I have learned a lot about how to live in away that optimizes my health (physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial) and the health of those around me, without letting fear, worry or discomfort about dangers, limitations, and pitfalls limit my ability to live fully and generously with a care for the suffering and joys around me. Yes, I took extra care to wash my hands last night right before I started teaching a pre-natal class, but I cannot stop going out and enjoying the spring days or getting my work done for fear of swine flu; I am currently healthy. I am not going to stop supporting local businesses because there is a recession; I still have a steady job and have no reason to curtail my spending, and I have always lived within my income.
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