Evolution

It has been a while since I have written. Adjusting to pregnancy has definitely been a process. I have had to reevaluate and redefine a lot of major aspects and perspectives in my life. This challenge, like many others, is an opportunity for evolution. A tearing down and rebuilding of self. The tearing down part can bring out the deepest darkest corners of vulnerability and sit them down front and center, giving no choice but to watch and be with them. But great expansion comes from the tearing down, greater space to be and grow, greater distances to see from. I think the most important thing to remember is to not label emotions and experiences as good or bad, but to allow for what comes with an inquisitive introspective eye, not a reactive one. Believe me, with the hormones I have flowing through me, that can be tough. I was thinking about how much hormones can affect the way a person behaves. So much of what we define as personality seems to be moreso a mixture of chemicals and their reactions to one another, and a simple change in the concoction can lead to drastic changes in a person. So if hormones dictate so much of our behavior, what differentiates personality or soul? I asked my friend this and she said, "Maybe it isn't necessarily what the hormones make us think and feel, but how we choose to react to them that defines our personality." I thought that was a really good answer. P.A. Bernard says that, "Body and soul are coexistent, one is but a manifestation of the other. the best way to perfect the soul is through the body and senses. Purify the body and through the body improve the spirit."
This is why for me, yoga is not simply a physical practice. It is therapy for the body, mind, and spirit. Not only does physical well-being benefit, but through the practice of yoga is a cultivation of deep awareness and mindfulness. This skill translates over into every aspect of our lives creating a greater foundation of peace, stability, happiness. This does not mean we do not continue to experience every emotion under the sun, and that life won't continue to throw curveballs, it means that when it happens we will assume less and less that what is happening is wrong or bad. Negative judgement and reaction to a situation will decrease, and so will our suffering.
I invite all of you to join me for a restorative, restore, or yin class this month with the intention of practicing for the mind, and not just the body. Hope to see you there.
Namaste.