Recently I read a wonderful story about an Apple Snail in the post Life Lessons from a Fish Tank written by Grounding Thru the Sit Bones. In essense it spoke of our reactions to change–the welcome and unwelcome ones that come into our lives. It seems the fish were rather traumatized by changes to their tank, apprehensive and skittish, and slow to accept something new into their environment. The Apple Snail, however, cautiously but pragmatically explored, then embraced the changes.
Then, as I surfed the web, I ran across Developing Personal Practice -Changes a great blog post from Lifebloomyoga detailing how your personal yoga practice will and can change depending on your needs at any given time. Some of the factors which determine why your personal yoga practice changes include:
- life cycle
- climate/seasons
- physical fluctuations
- mental fluctuations
I think all yogis have felt these subtle differences, and know they impact the view we have from the mat, or even our desire to get the mat out of storage. I find some-days I can’t wait for my hour of solace through breath and movement and other days I can hardly care. (There is of course the guilt on those days which forces me to at least practise pranayama while walking the dog.)
Change is inevitable. Our reactions to change determine much of our happiness. Do we welcome the ebb of and flow of life? Are we fearful and slow to accept like the fish? Can we adapt and incorporate changes broadening our experiences and viewpoint? Do we allow ourselves to explore different aspects of our personality: the calm, the energetic, the strong, the weak, the hard, the soft? (You knew I had to mention sukha/sthira and were just waiting for it, right?)
Personally I feel that this is one of the beauties of yoga. It changes and adapts with us. It can give us what we need, when we need it. As we recognize within ourselves the constancy that is the individual, the inner self, and learn to be true to that voice, we can incorporate change into our lives with an open heart. So I propose that you open yourself to change and ponder the example of the Apple Snail. Not the mightiest of creatures, but one who shows great courage and gracious acceptance in the face of change.
Related posts:
- Yoga In My School Means Yoga In My Life Some may wonder just what I mean by the title...
- Meditation Owl Teaches Kids to Look Within Kids Yoga Class this week we learned how to meditate....
- Yoga Life Lessons from a Blizzard in Montreal Arriving in Montreal in the middle of a blizzard was...
- Yoga Journal Writing a Window to the Soul Journalling has long been a tool for achieveing better emotional...
- Life Lessons for Kids from the Law of the Harvest Planting, tending and harvesting a garden teaches numerous life lessons....
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
