Here I sit, writing down ideas that have been coming up in the last few weeks... though maybe not so much as coming up, but blowing through, leaving and maybe coming back. I'm recovering from a concussion, and my brain is not functioning at its highest level right now, but it is slowly getting better. Enough that I want to write some things down.
I've never had a head injury before. I've had a lot of other bodily injuries, plenty of emotional injuries and definitely a lot of injuries to my ego over the years. But this one is different. I can't compute like I used to. I am not as clear, sharp or able to express myself as I would like. It is an interesting window into a different way of being.
Yoga teaches us that nothing is permanent, everything is fleeting, and we are to embrace each moment for the gifts it presents us, not dwell on what we don't have or what we have lost.
My injuries are a reminder of impermanence, of constant change, of bringing in deeper awareness of subtle cues the body is giving, and of perhaps pushing a little beyond the comfort zone to see what is possible. I'm happy to receive these reminders, and even happier to be able to write about them here, right now.
We've had a tough seven months since Covid-19 came to California. We've isolated ourselves, we've cancelled plans, vacations, celebrations and more. We've lost a sense of normalcy that allowed us to trust in relative peacefulness. We also may have stopped taking such good care of ourselves, letting go of some healthy routines of movement or mindfulness that were easier to do when we were less stressed or less constricted.
But this is the time to remember that yoga and mindfulness practices are always with us. They can come into our day without even much conscientiousness to bring them there. We can stop to notice our surroundings, the air on our skin, our feet on the ground. We can bring attention to our breath and try to slow and deepen it. We can listen with keen awareness and intention to hear and absorb. We can slow down and appreciate the very moment we have to be aware, present and alive. These are all gifts.
I and all the teachers at Revolution Yoga are here to help support your journey with these practices. We come offering space to hold for you to check in with yourself, to work through whatever needs to be worked through and to guide you into a feeling of connection to yourself, your immediate surroundings and the world around you. We love the power of this practice and that is why we keep showing up.
And when something unexpected arises, like a bike crash, a fire evacuation, a pandemic or any other occurrence that can throw you off your "game," know that you can turn to this practice and to us for help.
In union, always,
Shoshana