The other day, I had a conversation with a yoga student who suffers from a chronic illness and has been coming to yoga for the past few months. The student was determined, committed and seemed to be making steady progress. However, following last week’s class, the disease was triggered into an inflamed state and intense pain was present. The student called me sounding quite hopeless and felt a need to take a break from the weekly class. We both paused when those words were spoken and I could sense a sadness in both of us.
But then I offered another suggestion. I said, “We tend to look at yoga largely as a physical practice. But it can be much more than that. Perhaps this is the time where your practice focuses on meditation rather than on the physical aspect.” The energy in that moment shifted from one of hopelessness to hopefulness as the student envisioned an opportunity to still be connected to the practice, deepening to the quieter elements as the body has space to heal.
A second conversation followed the next day with a dear friend who had just undergone shoulder and elbow surgery. When I spoke to her she sounded great…upbeat, positive and at ease with her healing process. It surprised me a little bit that she had come to be at ease with her current situation as she’s a successful hair stylist and, with the surgery, unable to work (and therefore earn money) for the next few months. She said, “I’m focusing on getting back to what makes me feel more in balance-cardio exercise and better dietary choices. This is the time for me to regain focus and create balance. A true healing space.”
The practice of “being with what is” takes conscious effort. If we take this moment, just this moment, we can sense that all is okay, no matter what is happening externally and begin to find a feeling of ease in our lives. It’s about becoming truly present and noticing our experience, without getting sucked into the drama of it. I love the metaphor of our practice of stillness, meditation and being at ease as likened to us sitting on a riverbank, watching boats float down the river. The boats represent our thoughts and they’re just gliding by. And then we realize that we’re on one of the boats. We’re checking out what the boat looks like, where it’s taking us, who’s in charge, etc. That moment of noticing we are on the boat is the magical moment of awareness that we can get off the boat and sit back on the shore. It’s a moment of choosing what to be with.
Imagine if that boat is a boat of sadness and you stay with it for a long time. All you see and perceive is related to sadness. At some point, your entire being is affected until you have an awakening moment to remove yourself from the boat. We do this through witnessing our experience rather than indulging it. And it takes practice.
One way to experience the ease that is always within us is to sit quietly for a moment and notice what is swirling in your attention. What thoughts are there? What feelings do these thoughts create in your body? Where is it located? Spend a moment being with what’s present. Then, drop beneath it. Try to take a breath that guides you deeply into the space of your heart, the seat of your soul. Notice that within this space, you are in balance, undisturbed and peaceful. This remembering is one of recognizing that we always have this inner sanctuary. This is where our practice teaches and reminds us to go there on the wings of our breath.
Finding equanimity in life means to sit with an open heart in a non-reactive witnessing way. The sensibility of calm underlies everything that’s flitting across the surface and it’s our practice that opens the doorway for easier access.
So much is happening in our world today that is dripping with fear and sadness. Being able to find our inner world, easily and with a loving commitment, is one way to be with what is.
May all beings everywhere remember the inner peace that lies within and shine that intention outward to all others.
