Time is an interesting phenomena. Some of the most frequently heard statements are: “I don’t have time for _____”, “Time just flew by” “It felt as if time stood still” or “Time seemed to have dragged on forever”. One thing is a given, we all have the same amount of time, but how we each perceive it and spend it are completely individual. It is said that boredom comes to those who aren’t living in the present moment. That’s to say, that being fully connected to the moment and the experience of being in that realm of radical presence doesn’t allow the door to boredom to open. Think of those times when you’ve been completely absorbed in what you were doing…painting, playing music, in the flow of movement. In moments such as those, we have little awareness of how much or how little time has transpired, there’s no room for boredom. We are fully entrenched in whatever is happening in our realm of experience.
The beauty of being in the practices of yoga and meditation is that it provides the time to lay the foundation toward being at greater ease. When we step onto our mats it’s as though we are stepping into our own personal labs and it’s time well spent. We explore, play with movement, notice our thoughts, find our breath. We most often practice in controlled environments, with adjustable lighting, props, sticky yoga mats and beautiful wooden floors. We practice finding ease, as postures begin to challenge us more deeply and this all is undertaken for when we truly need to put it into use, that is, the moment of stepping off our mats and into our daily lives. The “outside world” is unpredictable and becoming resilient and adaptable on our mats helps to navigate the uneasy currents that we bump up against from day to day. As we explore the idea of time, one thing is for certain…the time to be in our practice of yoga or meditation is before we are met with a challenge as opposed to during or after such an event.
For example, when my husband Ed was in recovery from open heart surgery he had been practicing yoga for a number of years prior to the event. This set the foundation for him being more at ease in asking for support, realizing what he needed and being able to respond with an inner knowing as I would whisper to him during a procedure to notice his breath and try to slow it down. If he had never practiced being with his breath, it truly wouldn’t have been the time to be effective or accessible. Since he had practiced on the mat many times prior to that moment, he could pull it up during moments of distress and pain.
We practice in moments when things are going well so that when things get difficult we can stand on what we have created within ourselves. Some people come to yoga as a response to trauma they’ve already experienced. They’ve heard that it’s a great way to manage stress and feel better about themselves and all of that is true. However, it might be a longer road as they need to move through the trauma at the same time they’re building a foundation of a practice. It can be done with persistence and discipline but it may be a rugged journey. When we have less stress or fewer obstacles in our lives, that is the perfect time to dive deeper into our practice. It’s as though we’re strengthening our inner foundation so when things do get rocky, which we know they will, we can know what to do. We can be present in all moments whether they be easy or difficult.
So no time to waste…get on your mat and build that resiliency muscle today!
