Possibility

 Icelandic Beauty

"Love is the voice under all silences, the hope which has no opposite in fear; the strength so strong mere force is feebleness: the truth more first than sun, more last than star…"

(e.e. cummings)

  fjord 

The day after the climb it was back to business as usual. Practice in the morning. Sunday. The start of my practice week. However, after climbing over 4, 000 ft. on an incline makes for an interesting practice. An interesting practice indeed. On top of that my usual Primary Series class afterward, and a 3 hour afternoon workshop devoted to vinyasa, jumping back and jumping thru. A packed day.

To my surprise I was still a buzz of energy after hiking Hekla. Even after all the physical exhaustion I felt, and still feel today, a sense of renewed energy coursing through my body. This I was not expecting. I was expecting to be absolutely worthless and found it to be the exact opposite. 

I've never stopped myself from other activity because of worry of how it will affect my practice. Never. I don't see it that way. I feel the practice of yoga allows me to live more fully. Obviously I'm highly devoted to my practice, but through time I've realized it can't be my life. What it has done beautifully is open the reality into what's possible. To be in a space of limitlessness. Do I want to live big or do I want to live small? It doesn't have to mean scaling up mountains or tenuous physical challenges. It can be just as simple as offering a smile to a stranger.

In practice I continue to push the boundaries as to what I deem possible. It sets the stage to then go out in life and experience it. Living big isn't necessarily connected to material wealth, I'm talking about the spiritual wealth of active experience. Living this reality, fully open. Alive. Free.

The practice of yoga helps to open the channels, heightening our sensitivity to ourselves and to those around us. We stand better prepared to live in awareness. The critical step being what we decide to do with it. Standing in recognition. In a place of knowing and connection, to then go forth and live in yoga. Union. What's the point of coming to my mat bending and flexing if I don't make the connection off? This is the bridge I'm consciously crossing at the moment. I'm learning it never matters if I get knocked off my center. It's inevitable. But, am I able to bring myself back in daily life? This is key.

Even better, I'm making the connection not to judge myself too harshly with all my foibles. Oh! I have many! Again, learning this is where the juice is. There is no outer image to mold into. When I enter into a state of yoga it will express itself as unique as it's own, like a snowflake. One no better than the other, but extraordinary alone. 

It becomes evidently clear how the process NEVER ends. I'll never come to a place and be like, okay, I'm done. My learning is done. No. The depth we can grow into is endless. An ever expanding work of art. Which is comforting. Knowing life will continue to shift, grow, expand, contract, morph into ... anything.