Stepping into the Fire

Yesterday was one of those days where I woke up in a slump-tastic funk and couldn't shake it. After a morning of ferocious coughing I banished myself to my couch for a day of moping and watching TV. As the day progressed things seemed to be coming in on me. Then, the dogs tracked in some sort of black substance and spread it all over our new couch. That was it - full melt down time. Out came the tears and fears. All this old crap seemed to be surfacing for me.

It was only later that night that I connected it. The night before I had done another huge hip opening practice. Let me tell you there is some dark stuff living in my hips. A enticing mix of self sabotage, negativity, and harshness. Like I've mentioned before, this is usually when I go running from my yoga practice. When the dark stuff surfaces I want nothing to do with it. I feel for my poor dogs and boyfriend who have to be in the same home with me while I wallow in my crap.

Today I had a choice. I could stay stuck in yesterday's yuck or I could step back into the fire. My theory is that the only way for me to release these emotions is to keep going back into them. The best way for me to access them is through yoga. I unrolled my mat and went for it... more hip openers! I did it in a very honoring way. I started my practice with a gentle prayer for peace and release. Afterwards, I felt energized and fantastic. We shall see what tomorrow brings. If it does bring more of the negative feelings hopefully I can recognize it sooner and work on a plan B to move through them.

Day #17 - Repeating Old Patterns

As humans we have a tendency to repeat patterns in our lives. Some of these repetitions, or habits, are healthy like brushing our teeth before bed or kissing a loved one goodnight. Then there are the the unhealthy ones. We all have them. Sometimes we are able to see them clearly and other times we simply enjoy the marry-go-round ride.

In yoga the repetition helps us evolve. Doing the same posture over and over again helps us to build muscle memory and strength. However, what if we do the posture over and over again in a way that tweaks our knee? It is eventually going to cause a injury. Your body will say enough is enough. Does the same thing apply to life? Are our good habits helping us to evolve? What about our "negative" ones? Are they eventually going to cause destruction?