Suffice to say, it’s been one heck of a challenging week. Typical garden-variety stuff, but stressful nonetheless. Two of my children have had issues related to school. Our puppy is becoming a rebellious adolescent, eating rugs, shoes, and whatever else his canine canines like to feed on. My computer is as slow as molasses. And, the alternator in the family car died. In Cambridge, of all places.
Truisms like “this too shall pass”, just don’t cut it. I know it’ll pass, but right now, its hard. Very. Truth is, even though I’m doing my best, I’m still hamstrung by the current stresses of my life. I tell myself, I should have this in bag, I practice yoga daily. For crying out loud, I teach the stuff!
Well, just keeping it real, yoga helps, but it doesn’t fully-insulate from the ups and downs of living a full life. Yoga helps, but its no cocoon. Yoga helps, but its not a preventative magic bullet that harpoons stress.
When we’re stressed, its so easy to forget the teachings of letting go, of sacred pause, and finding center. So, again and again, I remind myself to draw the practice into life’s stressful situations. When I invite the practice in, then my baseline approach becomes neutral, not agitated. But when I forget to call it in….
…then the practice is about as effective as reading the label on a bottle of medicine and hoping for results.
So, if it gets bumpy out there, open the bottle and take the medicine as prescribed: One dose of kindness, coupled with a full therapeutic breath, mix in your clear vision, and pepper with letting go. As many times a day as needed. Then there can be a true easing up, a little more acceptance as well as a clearer perspective. Really, as many times a day as needed (and some days, it might be many many times, and that’s okay too).