In class this past week, a student told me how much she was going to miss seeing Oprah on daytime TV. She said how Oprah has inspired her over the past many years to “become a better person”. That conversation connects perfectly to my thought for this week, that of our own evolution.
I have often told people that I have two selves: the evolved self and the unevolved self. The unevolved self is the one that I’ve always known and if someone has “done me wrong”, the unevolved self is the one that wants to seek revenge. She’s the one who wants to plot ways in which to teach the other person a lesson and that I couldn’t possibly be the one who is wrong. You know her, the defensive perfectionist.
Fortunately, through many years of seeking, I have also come to know my evolved self. She’s the one who puts both feet on her yoga mat, sits her backside down on the meditation cushion, pauses before words leave her mouth and is willing to admit she’s wrong and say she’s sorry.
The evolved person is the one I seek to be all of the time and when I slip back into the alter ego of the unevolved self, it simply doesn’t feel that good. The great thing about personal growth is that it has become easier to recognize when that’s happening and even better when it’s just about to happen and I interrupt the fire breathing dragon from bursting forth.
Part of our yoga practice is learning to be with what is present. Sometimes the unevolved alter ego speaks so loudly that we think we have no choice but to let her take over. That’s where breathing really works its magic. If we have awareness, we can choose to deepen our breath, reason with the inner demon and release an exhale that doesn’t contain actions or words that don’t serve our higher self. It’s creating space between the stimulus and the response. It’s hard. It takes practice. Daily.
I’m thinking I’m not alone on this one…come practice slaying your inner dragon with me by coming to class, reading this blog or simply by taking a deep breath.
