One of the deepest lessons that my yoga and meditation practice has instilled in me is to trust my inner knowing and intuition. When I first stepped onto the yoga mat, this isn't something I anticipated would happen, but am certainly happy that it's one of the many benefits of a regular practice. I began practicing back in the early 90's more out of curiosity than anything else. Yoga was one of the most popular activities on offer at the Melbourne University Sports Center and I wanted to find out why so many people were flocking to it. At the time, I was managing a large group fitness program and teaching group exercise (aerobics classes) daily as well as whatever came with managing 35 instructors in three separate facilities.
Murray, my first yoga instructor, said to me fairly early on "Jayne, you should teach yoga..." to which I replied, "I don't want to teach yoga, I teach everything else." And quietly I thought, "I'll keep this just for me." Well, I didn't know that Murray was a prophet, but he sensed something within me that I had no idea existed.
Most of us aren't taught how "to do" inner reflection. Like many people, I had my foot on the accelerator of life and was revving my engines to full throttle. I was moving so unconsciously through life, that life seemed to just happen and I was going along for the ride. I didn't have any idea of what living intentionally meant, what it would be like to do less rather than to do more, or what my purpose was. I did what I was doing because I was athletic and energetic and had been my entire life, so physical education, coaching gymnastics, and the fitness industry fit the bill just fine. Yet, as I grew deeper into my physically-based career and began working more one-on-one with people, I had an inkling that there was something deeper to experience. Staying in the physical realm made sense for many years until it didn't. Thankfully, my yoga path and this realization were colliding around the same time.
I had dabbled in "New Age" books and meditation and sought out "like-minded" women who liked to talk more deeply around the meaning of life over good food and a few bottles of wine. But it was when I began the more formal yoga studies that I recognized for what I had been searching. It was an instantaneous spark and it felt like coming home. And indeed, it was. It is said that all we need to know is sitting like a seed in the center of our being, a place where ease and peacefulness reside. When we tap into it, it ignites a spark that has always been present and it's up to us to keep the flame growing.
Now, many years later, I have dug deep into my practice and recognize that my intention has many facets, one of which is to live with an awakened consciousness as much as possible. It's a constant current running through daily life from the moment of rising to the moment of heading off to sleep. It's as though each moment is an opportunity to be in the practice of yoga, breath, mindfulness, compassion, self-love, ease, acceptance, and of letting go. The potential to awaken to this sits within all beings and it's up to all of us to recognize that we create and grow our own individual story. We so often think that what we're looking for is somewhere else, with someone else, completely outside of ourselves so that's where we focus our attention.
Thank goodness for having those key people nudge us in a direction that we may not have seen. This week, we've been honoring the energy of our own awakening and using the symbol of the lotus flower. It represents new beginnings and finding our way. The flower itself is anchored in mud, rises through murky waters to find it's way to full radiance on the surface of the pond. We so often don't have clarity or know where we're pointed, yet all of us has the potential to dig deeper into our inner landscape and realize that all we need to know is simply sitting within us, waiting for us to say "Yes! It's time to grow and blossom!"
Deep lessons 🌺
ReplyDelete