It is a time of transition for each of us personally and our communities. As life is opening up again we prepare for change. With such uncertainty our minds project into the future and consider what going back to work or going to the cinema or public event will look like. Maybe this, maybe that….caught up in predicting the future. We can find ourselves thinking 'it should not be this way' as we fight the reality we find ourselves in. Frustration, fear and it's good friend anxiety are close by.
As a school teacher September means transition, it is always a new beginning for me. This year however the transition feels greater and more uncertain, knowing that the familiar and predictable rhythm of school has shifted into something else. So I find myself coming to my yoga mat seeking reassurance and grounding to steady me through this time.
By focusing on the transitions the body makes between poses we become aware that each posture is not separate but an expression of the whole. Bringing awareness into the body we can find some steadiness and start to feel our way into each posture. With an inward focus, we can listen to the sensations of the body, responding by adjusting, pulling back, softening and lengthening, allowing us to be in this moment.
We start to realise that attachment to the goal, to the posture, can cause us to focus on how we think it should be, a vision we hold in our mind, rather than how it actually is. Viewing the transition as the practice helps us realise that we never arrive because in each moment we are responding within this flow of life. Our choice is to respond with awareness and in line with our values. Aligning to who we want to be in our interactions and actions.
If we can bring awareness to the breath. Observing as it moves from an inhale into an exhale, into an inhale... we are reminded that every breath is a transition.
What is your source of steadiness? Can you soften your resistance to change and allow yourself to ease into the transitions in your life and in the world around you? If we can bring our mind back to the present moment, using the body and breath as an anchor, we can respond to this moment now.
Every time we arrive at the mat is different. Yoga teaches us that change is the only constant.
Tips:
Pause, feel your feet on the ground, your body on the surface supporting you.
Bring your awareness to the cycle of the inhale and exhale
Acknowledge that it makes sense that fear, frustration and anxiety are hanging around and at the same time set the intention to respond in line with the version of ourselves we want to be.
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