“That is your problem, not headstand: You transition too quickly and mindlessly. I am sure that you do this in your life as well. You never let anything settle in.”
What if you could stop being in such a rush to get to what’s next and instead be fully where you are in each moment – including in the transitions?
In yoga asana practice, it is often during transitions that injuries occur, because they are not given enough attention, they are rushed through, as if they are just the way to get to what’s next, instead of seeing them as an important step along the way.
In life, it is often during transitions that emotional injuries occur, because of shock, of denial, of the inability to jump so quickly from one thing to the next (and because of the misguided expectation that we must).
How you approach transitions offers an important clue to how you live your life.
As with most things, your relationship to transitions on your mat reflect what is happening in your life off of your mat.
How do you transition from sleep to wakefulness?
How do you transition from your work day to your home life?
How do you transition between the world at large and the world on your yoga mat?
If you sit with these questions, perhaps in meditation, or through journaling or visioning, you will likely find great insight that will be helpful when you are faced with bigger transitions in your life – loss, trauma, change both planned and expected.
When you don’t give yourself the space to be in transition, so much remains unprocessed and builds up inside.
Here are a few ways that you can honor the transitions on and off your mat:
Focus on your breath. Allow it to guide your movements, your thoughts, your actions.
Listen to your body. It will tell you when you need to slow down, rest, or be active.
Find compassion for yourself. Know that every moment you are different.
Honor each moment for what it is. Meet yourself where you are.
In Creating Your Practice, you’ll get to explore the connection between being on the mat and off as you redefine what your practice means to you, why you shape it the way you do, and how you can find sacredness within it all. Will you join us? We begin March 1st and it’s pay what you can.