Delicate Ankles And Other Blocks To Wisdom with Katie: Yoga Loka: Reno, Nevada: July 22, 2018
The ground is ready for moving in. Halleluja!
I've been practicing yoga since 2003, teaching yoga for more than a decade, and yet there are days when I don't think I know the first thing about it. Or anything really. Sages would say this is one of the indications one is in a state of yoga, but my mind doesn't feel steady and sure in that warm fuzzy classic yogic state of bliss. "The swiftest way to inner peace", says Buddha, "is mindfulness centered on the body." Which is why I'm drawn to the asana practice. It grounds me and gives me an expansive view of, well everything.
Unknown doesn’t mean throwing your hands up in despair . It’s opening them further, a gathering of new experience and therefore, learning. Katie opened with several leg, hip, knee, ankle, foot exercises. Dipping down into self investigation reminds me of the interconnectedness of everything, including long time holding patterns like my left outer foot and my need to know if my move to Reno was a good one. Both of them hold an immense amount of fear and general distrust of the ground on which I stand. Its uncomfortable at best and depressing at worst, and the even harder to stomach is seeing a lack of enthusiasm for almost anything that isn't right here on my mat and in my very own body. That's are far as I want to venture out today.
David returned home from tour yesterday, which coincided with our newly resurfaced and ready to move in hardwood floors. Finally there is room upstairs to transform the space from dust to delight, from a thought to a reality, which is where all transformation begins, after all. And with his return came many thoughts about upcoming shows and an awareness of how tightly wrapped my mind has become around his tour schedule and my life.
Moving into our townhouse and moving into the deep consciousness of my legs in yoga class I discovered the strain on my delicate ankle joints, a super deep reluctance to root. I have one foot in constant tour mode that manifests as a slight upturned twist of my ankle. Katie came by my mat and pressed on the other edge of my left foot in an attempt to bring awareness and coax an adjustment for a more stable alignment. It took a massive amount of inner strength and a firing of new muscles. The play of finding strength in places I've never known and a deepening trust into the what-isness of life happened when I allowed my ankle bone, my little bitty delicate joint to become strong enough to hold me in a stance of Truth.
I love yoga so much for so many reasons, one of which it opens my mental channels to inspiration and awe in such a way that the unknown feels like a blanket of possibilities, not limits. Much needed today while things are changing rapidly. Like my furniture and beloved art collection that arrives today to beautify and personalize my living space, like the possibility of reentering the world of teaching yoga, my most favorite subject of all, the unhinging of feeling stuck in tour mode by maybe skipping the August tour. Taking great strides in finishing my book and other personal alignments feels as fresh and new as feeling the whole sole of my left foot on the floor. All of these things assist me in grounding into my own two feet, so I can take yet another tiny step forward into my dreams, venturing sure footed into the unknown, not twisting away in shame, and certainly not fearing her.
Health, Love, and Rock N Roll