“We'd all like a guarantee before making a decision or taking a risk, but the irony is that taking the risk is what opens us to our fate. It's like wanting to know what things will taste like before putting them in your mouth. It just can't be figured out that way. I always seem to be relearning that real commitment comes before I know where anything is going. That's what listening to your heart is all about. Without jumping off its perch, the bird would never fly. Without jumping out of your heart's silence, love is never possible. Without asking to be whole, the divine essence waits inside everything the way bread hardens if never bitten into. For me, as I look back, being a poet came after committing to speak though I had no idea what I needed to say, and the grace of being loved has come into my life after admitting freely that I wanted to love though I wasn't sure how. If we devote ourselves to the effort to be real, the Universe in all its forms will find us, the way that wind finds leaves and waves find shore.”
~Mark Nepo
We all have certain books we return to again and again for inspiration. At BYS Yoga studio, we love Mark Nepo’s,
The Book of Awakening
. Last Saturday, Alana shared this quote about commitment and risk. I like how this reading relates to our yoga practice. How can it really grow unless we commit to it fully? How will we ever know what we can do unless we give it a wholehearted try? Where will our efforts take us? As Mark Nepo states,
“
the real commitment comes before we know where anything is going.
”
As we worked on variations of wheel and handstands and transitioning from one through the other [yoga tick tocks] using the wall for support, it brought up a lot of fears coming from handstand to a backbend: How far away is the wall? Will I be able to reach the ground with my foot? Am I strong enough? What if I fall? Can my body even do this?
So, what’s a yogi to do? I committed to giving it a wholehearted try, but I couldn’t do it alone. I asked Alana to spot me, and with her support the wall didn’t seem as far away and with some verbal reassurance, my feet found the ground as I situated myself in the backbend once more. That whole process started with my commitment to taking the risk and giving it a go, without knowing the outcome.
Thanks Alana. Thanks Yoga for these opportunities to practice the heart skills for real life! There are a lot of new paths brewing for 2018, I’m setting the intention to commit to what’s important to me even though I have no control over the outcomes!
In service,
Ashley
