Lessons from the Rabbit: Yoga with Amy at Carson City Yoga: Carson City, NV: March 30, 2018

Rabbits are popping out everywhere in the Carson Valley.

I've been seeing a lot of rabbits lately, hopping merrily around our property, and now that I've been taking walks around the gardens as relief from packing, the rabbits seemed to have stopped in their tracks and have turned to watch me, who is now hopping around with nervous energy. We've created a dialogue that seems so real I looked up the spirit totem energy of a rabbit because, to me at least, there is clearly a deeper message trying to get through via my new friends, the rabbits.

I used to think  practices like guidance from animal spirit guides were nonsense until I started a relationship with it, and like any good relationship giving it the benefit of the doubt creates more information. To add to the rabbitness of my experience these days, I'm even seeing rabbits in stores, in emails, online, on texts and twitter. Its Easter weekend. This layers on a whole new meaning to rabbits showing up in my life at this particular moment.

According to many sources, ShamanicJourney.com being one, "In some Native American traditions Rabbit is known as the Fear Caller, due to it projecting its fear of those wishing to eat it, and thereby attracting the predators it fears. Ever heard the phrase scared as a rabbit? Well, rabbits are well known as timid, shy and afraid creatures. We can learn from the rabbit that if we are always afraid of something then we may draw or create the very experience we are afraid of in to our lives. Fear sends out a certain vibrational energy that may attract the very thing we fear. Fearful thoughts reproduce (like rabbits) and manifest what we fear. Rabbit people may be afraid of tragedy, illness, and disaster, thereby calling those very fears to them to teach them lessons."

The mental packing up of our beautiful home in Carson is painful. Partly exacerbated by chaos and fatigue, my default weaker mindset of fear creeps in. I'm afraid I'm making a mistake, I'm afraid I won't be happy in Reno, I'm afraid I'll go broke because I should have held on to this once-in-a-lifetime house. Just a few months ago I was so clear about moving. This second guessing myself, a general wishy-washiness, indecision and nervousness is exactly rabbit energy. They move suddenly and unpredictably, just like this quick escrow. Did I draw the rabbits in? Are my fears manifesting?

Yogis would say yes. What we focus on changes, and what we emphasize comes to fruition. Hence why sages offer healthier thought choices like the yamas and niyamas, and other yoga sutras like 1.33.

But maybe also, the rabbits are assisting in manifesting my dreams. Feeling my fears and seeing them as clearly as I'm seeing rabbits everywhere is helpful because I can examine my reflexive patterns and how they hold me back from growing. In times of stress and challenge, diving back into old patterns paralyzes any real movement or personal growth. I believe the rabbit is calling me to examine the movement of my own mind, to unpack my fears and worries amidst packing up U Haul boxes and moving from Carson to Reno.

Like many of the lessons I've learned in Carson have been taught by silent teachers such as the rose bushes and pine needles, I realize the rabbit is a good teacher too. I'm reminded we are the creators of our life with our thoughts and emotions. The rabbit feels fear and projects it, creating in the external world situations reflecting  the inner world of fear. Because thoughts have a certain frequency, it makes it extremely necessary to be yogis, to be conscious of our thoughts and quiet our wild minds. The rabbit ability of being alert and aware of its surroundings all the time, can help us be aware that we all have the power to create our wildest dreams with our thoughts. The play is to be aware of them, to redirect them from hopping around in the negative, to a positive path,  and to be focused on our dreams, not allowing distractions from our intentions with negative emotions.

Rabbit pose places the crown of our head, the sahasrara chakra on the ground for the purpose of resting the muscles between the skull on steady, solid ground, thereby creating ease. Or, one can bypass the pose entirely and simply relax the crown of your head anytime, anywhere, which is what I did in our practice today and the relief was immense.

Usually the sanscrit word sukka is translated as ease. Today Amy translated it as  'happiness'. In any case simply easing my mind brought corresponding ease in my body and I could again touch in to the happiness of what's really happening. Our move and my path forward in life has opened with great swiftness and relative ease. We didn't even have to list our house, and our new place, although in clear need of remodel, is perfect in so many ways. The rabbits and the yoga helped me so much and I felt back on track in the remembering.

Driving home to Carson from class I saw another rabbit.. This one was freshly schmooshed under the wheelpath from the car in front of me, her blood still bright red and still a hint of life even though she was clearly dying. It was messy and gruesome and sickening.  I had to slightly swerve my vehicle to make room for her death because she was right in the middle of the road, and blocking my path back home.

Health, Love, and Rock N Roll.

Rabbit pose feels so good to release a sticky crown chakra.