Tiny

"True life is lived when tiny changes occur."
Leo Tolstoy

As I settle into the mat beneath me, I hear a familiar voice encouraging me to choose an intention. "Let it come to you," she says. The room is quiet. We are ten ~ ten yoga newbies. In this moment, we are alone and we are together. We are weak and we are strong. We are scrambled after a long day, and we are letting go. We inhale. We exhale. Right hand over my heart. Left hand covering my belly.  Breathe. Deeply. Breathe. And with the next exhale I choose 'breathe' as my intention.

Slowly, gently we are led through the poses. Each shift brings new awareness. Some positions seem designed to soothe. Designed for me. Some poses feel unnatural, awkward. Each shift brings new awareness. With each shift, I listen to my breath. Must remember to breathe. Now I am standing. And this next shift is to one leg. I am wobbly. Finding my balance isn't easy. The young woman leading our practice stands like a pillar on her one leg. As I inhale I think, "I can't. Is everyone else in the room standing firm like that or wobbling like me? I better practice this at home to be better." And then I exhale. Breathe. Focus forward. Inhale again.

And as I exhale, I let go. I accept. I am here. I am doing this. I am breathing in. And wobbling on one leg. And next time doesn't matter. Stronger doesn't matter. This moment, this deep breath. This is me, right now. No self-judgement. No evaluation. Just breath and acceptance.

And with this shift, this tiny internal change, comes the whisper of new life.




Sharing today with Kim and Kat