Yoga and self-acceptance

One of my step-daughters turned 40 last week (yes, that DOES date me a bit). Her favorite present was the only piece of jewelry she's ever had from Tiffany's: a beautiful sliver snowflake necklace. It is lovely. When we all admired it, she said, "It's perfect for me. It's silver; it's pretty, and, it's . . . flakey." She laughed a bit in a self-deprecating way, but it hurt a bit to learn that, after 40 years of living, she didn't give herself enough credit to see the positive side of her personality. Okay, yes, she's a bit scatter-brained. But who isn't with two small children, a part-time job, three dogs, helping at two schools, and maintaining a solid marriage, a household, and many, many friendships?

What she interprets as "flakiness," I choose to see as a willingness to roll with the punches of life, to be spontaneous, to be open to change, and to live with a sense of excitement. She is among the more adaptable people in my life. There isn't much that can rattle her ability to make the best of an ever-changing schedule.

What qualities about yourself do you view as negatives? Be gentle with yourself. The discipline of yoga encourages us all to accept ourselves as we are, in this moment, at this place in time. Accept your limitations, forgive your failings, and breathe into your next asana, however you can. That's advice that we can use in our practice, and in our daily lives. As we practice together, we do more than poses, we learn the essential and intricate connections between our minds, our bodies, and our emotional well-being. And we come to accept that who and where we are is perfectly good. Release from judgement and self-criticism are great benefits of our practice.

After class today, someone shared that she hadn't been in class since late last spring as she was recovering from a back injury (and then a re-injury). She was glad to be back, and felt secure enough to know when to back out of a pose and sink into child's pose. She's got an essential part of yoga mastered--knowing herself and accepting that her limitations--today--are perfectly fine. And we're so glad that she came. Her presence was a great part of our learning today.

Namaste,
Nancy