Take it off the mat

I am relatively new to the yoga practice.  Madison and I did a trial membership with a local Yoga studio last June and approached this new experience with cautious optimism.  I say cautious because we are both about as flexible as a giraffe.

Since our first whirlwind week of trying different styles, we continue to return regularly.  I usually make 2-3 one hour sessions every week and when Madison is home, she goes with me.

Can I pray for you?

While I am still nowhere near as flexible as I would like to be (or those around me), I am making progress.  And I have learned that yoga is NOT a competitive sport but that where ever we are, is where we should be.  I also appreciate the silence of the practice.  Entering the studio, we prepare in silence.  Our facilitator of the practice talks us through the different poses.  We are particularly fond of yin yoga which is an hour's worth of maybe six or seven poses, all held for 5 or more minutes each.  At the end of the session, we end in silence.  This is not a social hour but one dedicated to self reflection and just breathing.

I am no stranger to the use of breathing.  It is my "go-to" whenever I am experiencing anxiety.  I also use mantras (in my head...I am not chanting out loud) that go with the breathing.  So it seems only natural that many times, in the quiet of the pose, I find myself praying.  I pray thankfully to God for the many blessings I have been given; I pray for those grieving, those sick, those suffering; I pray for all those in servant roles and I pray to be a better servant.  I pray for all my kids, my grand kids, my siblings, nieces, nephews and mother. My friends, (so many who are like family), my co-workers and those with specific needs I have been made aware of.  The messy world we live in.  The hour is hardly enough.

When people ask me to pray for them, I always do.  Sometimes immediately and sometimes continually.  And some of the most powerful moments in my life have been when others have prayed for me.  When the situation is particularly difficult, I pray the prayer that never fails..."Thy will be done".

Sometimes I actually fall asleep at the end of the session.  The first time it happened, I was embarrassed.  Some noise startled me out of my slumber and I realized I had missed the shift to the last pose AND the last person was leaving the room.  But beyond the embarrassment, I felt such peace.  I thought it was just a "one-off" until the next time we came.  Luckily Madison was with me to wake me up.

I received a daily "yoga" calendar for Christmas and I want to share some words of wisdom recently found on my calendar by Sean Johnson, a Yoga teacher, artist and founder of Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band."I ask myself daily: 'What is worth my time, attention, prana (life energy), love?' The insight that comes from this inquiry is like a torch leading me through the dark."

Until next time,
#What is worth your time?

your pal,
Kari

Do not be afraid

We live in a scary world and everyone has fears.  It starts out when we are very young, with fear of strangers (who end up being family members), the dark and being away from our parents.  And about the time we recognize that the dark can't harm us and we can survive apart from our parents, new fears emerge.

Most common theme in Bible

Is it any surprise that the most common theme in the Bible centers around fear..."Fear Not", "Do not be Afraid", etc.

Yet we are afraid.  Of so many things.  Fear is not a rational presence in our life.  And my fear is not your fear.

Growing up I was afraid of storms, new situations and strange dogs.  There was a neighborhood bully that I crossed streets and cut through yards to avoid.  I was afraid of being alone in the house.

As I got older, I "out grew" some of the fears....and some I did not.  But as many times as I conquered fear, a new fear would arise.

Until I moved to Texas I was afraid to fly.  For many years I could manage this fear by recognizing it and committing to not letting my fear interfere with my life.  I would white-knuckle the trip and breath a sigh of relief when we were back on the ground  But I reached a point where it was threatening to overpower me.  I began postponing trips or driving long distances instead of flying.  Marissa was in high school then and I remember she gave me three pages of hand-written bible verses to carry with me (which I still have) and refer to when I began to feel anxious. 

And by the way, there was nothing magical about my move to Texas that first diminished and then removed my fear of flying, it was the frequency in which I had to fly (weekly and sometimes more than weekly) that eventually wore my fear down.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a healthy fear and I still have fears.  They are different and every evolving.  But now I just deal with them differently.

A little education and a lot of prayer, go a long way.

Until next time,
#ALWAYSAFRAIDOFMICE
#RATIONALFEAR

your pal,
Kari