All of Me

I remember calling up an orthopedic center asking for a particular doctor. When they asked what I was being treated for and I said, "my knee", they replied..."oh, that doctor doesn't do knees." And so it goes in the medical profession of specialization, which isn't a bad thing, particularly if I have something wrong with the knee. If that's the case, I want to see "the knee person", not "the shoulder person." We are accustomed to thinking of ourselves as body parts, diseases, and symptoms. Thankfully, a growing number of functional and integrative medical practitioners, who treat people holistically, is expanding. 

And the good news is, that yoga does, and always has, looked at the totality of who we are, without breaking us into pieces.

This week's thought is about just that...looking at our whole self and understanding it through three perspectives. If we think of ourselves as being the element H2O, that of water, we can understand the idea in a manageable way. 

When H2O freezes, it becomes ice. It's solid, tactile, and we can perceive through touch and sight. We can liken ice to being our body, solid and perceivable. We also know that ice is impermanent. If we hold it in our hands, it begins to change form and melt.

If we think of H2O in its liquid form, we notice how many moods it can possess. Water can have qualities of a still pond with no ripples on the surface, as well as a turbulent ocean with huge waves crashing about. It can be turbulent and elusive. Ever have a leak in the house which you can't quite find? Water has a way of seeping into unseen places and it's more difficult to hold in our hands without losing some of it through the cracks. Water in its liquid form has the qualities of the mind. Often difficult to capture, sometimes overpowering, and frequently shifting through various moods and states.

And if we bring H2O to a boil, it turns into steam or vapor. As my tea kettle boils, I can momentarily see the steam escaping, but I'm not able to grasp it. It's more elusive as its molecules dissipate into space. This is the quality of the spirit...we know it's present but difficult to see and challenging to grasp.

These three qualities of water are who we are in various forms. As a practice, yoga invites us to find harmony and union within body, mind, and spirit. It's as though body, mind, and spirit are the composite parts of a giant, stabilizing cable. When the three are equally "pulling their weight" the structure is at ease and balanced. If one or more is weakened, then imbalance is created which over the long-haul can lead to deterioration.

This week, check in with where your energy goes - into the physical, mental, or soulful self? Is there one thing that you could bring into your practice or let go of that would cultivate a greater sense of harmony in your being?

I recognized a few years back that the physical strand of who I was dominated. I was identified with and well-versed in the body, both practically and theoretically. Yet I knew that to cultivate a deeper connection to my inner world, two things needed to happen. Meditation and Seva (service).  Prior to committing to my daily meditation practice, being with myself and all the crazy mind-chatter was something I never practiced, so it was like taking a chance on how I'd react in certain situations. Meditation opened up the space between action and my own reaction, shifting how I related to myself and others. The other piece, service, was a gradual unfolding. I discovered that when I served others, it brought an element of connection not only to those being served but to an unexplored space within my own heart.

Now, both meditation and Seva (service) are the two most powerful parts of my regular practice. They've helped to calm the ever-fluctuating thoughts of the mind and brought a sense of compassion into my life. In strengthening those intertwining cables of body, mind, and spirit, I ride the waves of change and find states of equanimity in a peaceful and harmonious way. I can't help but think that all of us have this potential for greater lifelong ease. I feel if I can do it, the kid who was so physically active for so many years, you can do it as well.

Take some time to see what will serve you on the deepest level of who you are and step directly toward it. It'll serve you...all of you!