Our lives are constantly moving forward, no matter what. Everything keeps going…moving…shifting…changing. There is no stopping change. It just happens. We all change. We all shift. It is inevitable.
Everything around us is a representation of this. The cycles of life are present everywhere. In kundalini yoga there is the mantra Sa Ta Na Ma…birth, life, death, rebirth. Then there are the seasons of mother earth…winter, spring, summer, and fall. We also have the four directions…north, south, east, west. We have four basic elements around us everywhere…earth, air, fire, and water. The cycles of life are intertwined and a living and breathing part of all stages, all realms, all disciplines, all environments, all institutions. These stages are a part of everything, everyone, and everywhere. Change is the only thing that is constant. It is a part of us.
I have difficulty with change. I usually stay where I am until forced to go forward. It can be one of my largest assets and one of my biggest detriments.
This became so apparent to me the other morning. As I was practicing kundalini yoga, breath, and meditation… I was feeling a sense of hesitation. I did not feel fully present and was having difficulty moving through certain postures.
This is not the first time I have been present to the resistance with my practice. I decided to continue to only focus on the techniques of the breath pattern and the formation of the postures and allowed myself the freedom to explore the sensations that were coming up. First, I began focusing my breathing… I breathed into the resistance. With breath control, I stayed present to the energy and allowed the energy to naturally move on its own. Then I decided to breathe light into any area of my body containing resistance. I stayed out of all the mind chatter. Allowed all thoughts to just wander away. And continued to only breathe and practice. And things began to shift. They started to unfold. The fears began to unravel all on their own. All I did was breathe, move through the postures, and allow the thoughts to just drift away. I kept going. Taking the breath to the next level. I used an 8 counted breath, inhaling deeply for 8 counts, suspending my breath, and then exhaled completely for another count of 8. With repetition and persistence, I began to shift even more. My body began to relax, my nervous system aligned, and my mind silenced. The intensity subsided, the constrictions softened, and space began to emerge. The breath and the postures became effortless and flowing. And suddenly, yoga became my friend again.
I sank deeper and deeper into my practice. I became rooted and all obstacles ceased to be present.
Suddenly, there was nothing left but the air around me, the water in front of me, the earth below me, and the fire within me. I became the cycle. The cycle became me. And in that moment, nothing but stillness remained, and the greatest gift emerged. Stillness became the doorway taking me to a perception without limitation and full of creative possibility.
Thoughts may come and go, cycles continue, and seasons change. We have breath and choice. By choosing to breathe through the sensations it is possible to gain access to a reality where resistance no longer exists. ~Jennifer Lauren, IntuitLove
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