When this crazy pandemic year overlaid my 45 year Saturn opposition (Saturn = bringer of root karma, opposition = from outside of yourself), I knew I was in for a good butt kicking.
Stripped of that which feeds me and makes my life enjoyable, I found myself confronted with the painful reality of my binge eating disorder, my challenges feeling connected in relationships (and to myself), and a lack of sustainability in my work life. Never mind the multitudinous challenges faced by the people whom I love and serve, nor the daily logistics of work and school and socializing at home, online, with distance.
Eeeeyah. Not the easiest or most enjoyable year. Not even a little.
But, as it has been for most of my adult life, I found solace, meaning, and rebirth on my mat. One of my earliest Teachers used to say, “on the mat, as in life,” to remind us that our practice isn’t just something we do during that one-hour-once-per-week that we attend class.
Yoga, as all wisdom, is meant to bloom into the totality of our lives. We can learn to bend without breaking on the mat, and then stretch ourselves within reasonable limits at work.
We grow stable and expansive standing on our own two feet in Tadasana so that we may stand against the flowing waters of life and hold our ground.
We turn upside down—and even practice entire sequences standing on our heads or shoulders—so that when the world goes sideways, we do not.
One of the tremendous gifts of this pandemic is that Teachers who otherwise would have eschewed virtual practice took their teachings online. And this hungry seeker bathed in the glorious accessibility to Teachers I had only dreamed of experiencing.
It has been a fascinating time of study and growth, one for which I am deeply grateful. In my reflections as the year turns anew, three teachings jump off the mat ardently, shifting the paradigms in which I make sense of my life. I share them here in case they may be of some benefit to you as well:
Energy is precious, and is to be conserved.
Sustainable action includes a balance of energy and effort.
Remain in inquiry, cultivating a sense of curiosity about how a given teaching applies to you specifically.
Over these next few weeks, we’ll explore these concepts in greater depth. I look forward to sharing them with you.
The aftermath of my New Year’s morning home practice.