I met a new student the other day and asked if she had practiced yoga before. She replied, “yes, but I can’t do what I used to do” to which I replied, “neither can I!”. It got me thinking about what I used to be able to do with my body when I was a competitive gymnast in the early years. I was gifted with great flexibility and I could back bend to extremes and had beautiful splits in three directions. Once I undertook more focused training as a gymnast and built strength to match the flexibility, my body could move easily and with fluidity. It took effort but if often looked effortless.My body doesn’t move the same way as it did in the past. Everything changes. Part of my practice is simply being okay with that. I have remnants of the younger Jayne insofar as I can still hold a decent handstand and have good balance and strength. Yet my joints talk to me on a regular basis and if I’m listening, they ask for me to take my time and be gentle. When I do listen, my body responds. Over the years my being is becoming better at understanding that everything changes.
What I may have “lost” from a physical perspective has been replaced by something I had no clue about in those younger years: Insight, patience and wisdom. With the changing waves of my physical self, I needed to learn how to make peace with all of it because as I age, everything changes. We begin to learn that we have other options than throwing on our super-hero cape and giving it our utmost.
And so it goes, the numerous cycles that we are constantly experiencing whether they be the subtle shifting from one season to the next, the seemingly overnight growth of a young puppy or the wrinkles that we begin to notice around our eyes. No matter how desperately we wish it would stay the same, everything changes.
In the wisdom traditions it is said that when we deny the basic truth of change and adhere ourselves to the idea that things will remain constant, we suffer. Attachment to the things staying the same can lead us down the path of suffering. It’s natural to wish for certainty as it gives us a sense of security, even if it is a false notion. We hold on tightly to what’s familiar, we often stay in jobs or relationships based on what they were in the beginning and have fear of letting go due to an unknown future.
It is taught that if we can see each moment for exactly what it is and find a sense of ease within that moment, we can learn to be at ease with all that is in transition. A simple practice is to watch the breath and notice how it shifts.
Begin sitting comfortably and close the eyes. Without changing anything, notice how you’re breathing. Where is the breath obviously moving in your body? What thoughts are floating about in your sphere of consciousness? Next, exhale the breath completely so you can take the next breath slowly and deeply into the body. Pause. Exhale that breath slowly and with ease. Repeat a few times then sit and notice how you feel. Did anything change? How does this moment compare to how you felt the last time you had an argument with someone? Everything changes.
The practice of noticing change can also be related to help in managing pain and difficult moments. People who pay attention to their pain sensations begin to notice they change, the pain isn’t often constant or at the same intensity. Grief and tragedy are also difficult as they often feel as though they are permanent states, yet speak to anyone who has suffered a loss and ask them if it’s still as intense as when it first happened. Usually the answer will be “no” as everything changes.
As we shift away from the solstice we can once again be reminded of the transitions in our lives, from the minute to the gross. We can relax into the present moment and realize everything changes. Can you let go into it?
Oh, so true!! Well stated.