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