Goldilocks

Once upon a time many of us were told the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. For those who need a reminder, this girl, Goldilocks, walked into an empty house that happened to be owned by three bears. She decided to do a bit of exploring and sat down to eat some porridge. As she tasted Papa Bears porridge, it was too hot. Mama Bears porridge was too cold. Well, Baby Bears porridge was just right, so she chowed down. She had a few other adventures in the house that involved chairs and other things until she finally made it into the bedroom where she tried out Papa Bears bed...too hard. Mama Bears...too soft. Baby Bears bed was just right, so she hopped in and fell asleep. And on the story goes, which if you don't know the ending, you'll have to Google it or ask someone else.

Now you might be wondering how the story of Goldilocks makes its way onto a blog about yoga. What I like about this trespassing youngster is that she was in search of what was "just right" for her. And as we step into our yoga practice or move through our day, do we know how to find that sweet spot of what's just right for us? If we shift the emphasis of the story to Papa Bear, we learn that what is just right for him is hot porridge and a hard bed, illustrating that what is just right for each of us may be quite different. As a yoga instructor I don't know what's right for my students. Only they can gauge that through their own awareness. By allowing people to search for what's just right for them it provides each of us an opportunity to pursue a different path. If we can do so without placing judgment on what's right for me or for you, a particular acceptance and freedom arises...not only on the yoga mat but far beyond.

In the yoga Sutras of Patanjali, he talks about the "Gunas", three parts of the mind which I visualize as a see-saw of balance. On one side of the see-saw is Rajas which is active and fiery, the caffeinated version of our minds. The other end is Tamas which is a fixed, immobile and heavy state of mind. In the middle, the balanced fulcrum of the see-saw is Sattva or Baby Bear as it relates to our Goldilocks story. Noticing our mind state is a large part of finding balance in our lives and we explore this through our practices of yoga and meditation. In those moments of too much activity, the state of Rajas, we know to move more toward Tamas and vice versa. These constant fluctuating states gain greater balance as we practice, enabling us to have more accessibility to creating a state of balance, one that is "just right" for us.

So who knew that a story that I was told many years ago would be related through a yogic reference? Who knew that Goldilocks could inspire a recognition that all of us crave balance in our lives. When we find that perfect balancing point of Sattva, a sense of stability and ease arises. My question for you this week is "where are you leaning?". Toward a Papa or a Mama Bear? Or have you found the still-point of balance, resting in the middle, just as Goldilocks rested in Baby Bears bed.

Depending on your reflection of this question, what do you need to do to shift or maintain the sweetness? Enjoy the journey of exploring and make sure you bring some porridge along that is just right for you!