Day 65 of 90: Modo Yoga, Courage

Day 65 of 90 straight days of hot yoga at Modo Yoga and I discovered that the breath is the drumbeat of the spirit, and the heart is the vision.  In yoga practice as we move together as a class, we move like the inner workings of the body.  Everyone is playing a part and each part matters to the whole.

Today in practice Teacher Joe led us through a vigorous flow, followed by a restorative practice. Joe always has wonderfully insightful things to teach us on our mats.  Today was no different.  In the practice I discovered how hard I had been working with my feet, and relaxed them down, as I did that I discovered the four parts of the foot.  I realized I could surrender the feet to the ground. As I did that I noticed the everything in yoga is happening now. This may seem like a “Duh” moment, but in practice when the focus is here, and not worried about what just happened or worried about how it looks, or where we are headed, then the flow of the pose is natural.

A good example of this is the chin. The chin represents faith in some energy work. So by dropping the chin and allowing the rise of the back of the neck, we become relaxed here, and more trusting of the present, but in one of the poses I was pushing my chin out. Joe acknowledged that and reminded me to bring the chin in. As I did I noticed how important it is not to push through poses.  So balance on the mat is subtle, and awareness is important in each pose.  It is easy to push through things, but resting here, where you are is just as important.

Restorative poses reminds me of the journey. The journey of being with the experience as it is unfolding. As we move with the experience that life presents us, sometimes we have lots of pain we are moving with, so wanting to get to the end of it by pushing through it, so we can show people how strong we are, is how most people live.

When people come to me for sessions, most of the time they are moving through death, crisis, big emotions, life circumstance, and they meet with me to heal, but most people believe there is a quick fix, a switch, a big tool, to magically rid them of the feelings.  There is not. What there is, is being with the experience as it is happening.  As you do, you build the heart of warrior. Every time you move through things on your mat and off, you become stronger, you might not see it right away, but you will see it. But first you must have the willingness to be with it. That is difficult. Joe reminded our class, “Have the courage to change.”

Emotions when fully experienced only last for 45 seconds to a minute, but when the mind story kicks in, and the emotions are not fully experienced they can last from a day to 50 years, that is why being on your mat matters. To build your courage to be with the experience. To know inwardly that you can handle life as it is, as it is presented to you.

On to day 66…Namaste

  David Matthew Brown: Heart Speaker, Author, Blogger, Dad, and Yogi- and everyday learner.