Be Brave

When I walk to the edge of all the light I have and take that step into the darkness of the unknown, I believe one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for me to stand on or I will be taught to fly.

~ S. Marlin Edges

Sometimes we just have to be brave. Over the past few days, I have seen different expressions of people stepping into the vulnerability of who they are. So this week, my thought is to honor and acknowledge those people and those moments when we call upon a deeper sense of our abilities. Our courage.

This past week, we had a fun event created by some of my long-time, dedicated yoga students. A day to wear crazy pants and mix-matching tops followed by a picnic. Why? Well, sometimes we get very serious around our practice of yoga so this was a reminder to truly connect to the joy of the practice, the many laughs we've shared during classes, to celebrate community, and to do something that makes us a bit uncomfortable. I chose to wear patterned leggings the color of the ocean with an equally colorful top. Now not all of those attending class that morning knew we were having this theme and arrived in their usual yoga attire. As one of the mix-matched woman entered the studio, seeing others in "normal" attire said, "I feel like I'm in sixth grade...".

It reminded me of a time, long ago in my first marriage, going to a friends "red" birthday party. My then husband and I went to town on dressing completely in red -- pants, shirt, shoes-- and to top it off, spray coloring his beard and hair red. As we entered the party, everyone else was wearing a black top with a red flower, black pants with red shoes or a red scarf adorning their outfit. We both stood there, certainly looking a bit stunned with a growing sense of embarrassed awkwardness. So we did what many folks in their early 20's would do...stayed and drank too much to quell our own discomfort.

A second thing happened to create this week's thought. A new group of yoga teacher trainees launched into their first module of a 200-hour training. They are scheduled to graduate in October and are embarking on what can be quite a profound and confronting journey. I sat watching them take their first steps along this path and admired the courage it takes to say "yes" to such an undertaking. Part of the process is stepping into places that are unfamiliar which often leaves us feeling exposed and vulnerable.

The third piece to this theme happened somewhat unexpectedly. Our 14-year old granddaughter was competing in a recent equestrian team event. Much to their surprise, they won and qualified to head to Nationals in a few weeks. You could tell from the Facebook photos that their reaction was delight and disbelief in the same moment. Our granddaughter had hesitations about even competing, yet she stepped up without holding a particular expectation and now she's heading off to Nationals. It took a deep courage to step into something uncomfortable and challenging (and we're really proud of her and excited by this new experience!).

All of these stories have one thing in common-vulnerability. Moments exist when we are standing in that gap of time where we feel uncertain and in the pit of our stomachs we feel exposed. It's the fear of being judged that will often paralyze our willingness to take the next step. What our yoga practice teaches us is to step fully into this feeling of "uh-oh...I don't know" without wanting to cut and run or withdraw into our tortoise shell for protection. It's in these moments that we need to be brave.

Yoga teaches us to recognize these feelings and take the next step. Feel those butterflies? Stand or sit with your spine straight, chest open and shoulders down and back. Now take a deep breath, pause and go forward. It's as though we step up to that unknown edge and confront the choice of taking a risk or withdrawing. When we decide to launch ourselves forward, it can be exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. We can quietly whisper to ourselves, be brave, be brave...

When we stand in those moments of vulnerability, something stirs deep within our soul. We connect to the deeper sense of our own truth, rather than passively shying away from what matters to us. We step toward the discomfort because we intuitively know that doing so honors who we really are. At the close of each session I teach, I finish with the words "May we know, speak and live our truth". And when we know what these truths are, they become who and what we wish to project into the world. It's that quiet voice that drives us to getting more comfortable sitting in our seat of discomfort, that place where we're willing to risk being judged because if we don't...we know that our own growth stagnates.

So this week step up to something that scares you, whether it's a person, a new beginning or an ending. Stand tall in the frame of your body and take a deep breath. Then, step forward into the space where you're uncertain as to how you'll land. Your soul will thank you!