The weird thing at yoga
Recently I was in the last few minutes of a hot yoga class - the part where you just lay there - and I had a bit of a vision. (For clarity, this is very unusual. Visions aren't a normal part of my existence.) But "vision" is as close a description as I can get to my experience. I had an image and a feeling right smack dab in my brain space. I saw myself curled up, wrapped in an orange and yellow stretchy fabric (like those aerial gymnasts use) and my parents were on either side of me, wrapping their arms around me, giving me the biggest, gentlest loving support. I felt fully relaxed, fully calm. A sense of ease. I felt bolstered and held.
And then? The purest joy. The most undeniable happiness. Warm, bright and all around me, unadulterated. It was so strong I started to giggle on my mat. At nothing in particular. Weirdly, I was totally unprepared for this feeling. It threw me for a loop and I immediately stifled my grin. I've cried a million times in yoga...but laughing? That was new.
That's what happened in the last two minutes of yoga.
It got me thinking about how we build capacity for the hard things in life. We expect the difficult. Trauma, stress, anxiety, conflict and even boredom. This is what we prepare for.
But...what if we have that down pat? What if we have been living with hard things long enough to know we will manage? We know we can survive the hard stuff. What if the capacity we actually need to build is for...joy?
We are good at feeling the hard things, but are we good at experiencing the pleasurable things? The wonderful and lovely?
Does happiness soak into the bone or do we quickly dry it off, unsure and uncomfortable?
And if we need help building capacity for joy, how exactly does one do that? Probably with warm, gentle, loving support, don't you think? Probably when you feel safe and supported enough, joy rises to the surface, yes?
So let me ask you, what do you think would rise to the surface if you felt unadulterated, compassionate, loving support? Let's build that together, shall we?
Rooting for you always,
Celeste
Rogue Retreat is built on the idea that women who are in fierce pursuit of pleasure, power and peace need a supportive community, gritty enough to help them get there. If you want to see what happens with unconditional support, we'd love to show you.
SPOTLIGHT
You know I love horses and I recently came across this wonderful account...a "dressage artist practicing the art of equitation as a medicine." You have to see his beautiful work for yourself.
