Monday, February 24, 2014

Where ever you go, there you are.


"Generally speaking, we regard discomfort in any form as bad news.  But for practitioners or spiritual warriors- people who have a hunger to know what is true- feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we're holding back.  They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we'd rather collapse and back away.  They're like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we're stuck.  This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it's with us wherever we are."  ~Pema Chödrön

People often talk to me about starting a home practice or starting to meditate like it is some big complicated thing that they will never be able to do.  Let me tell you, everyone can!!!  Sincerely.  

Recently,  I had a conversation with a person who told me they wanted to travel to a place half-way around the world so they could be in a specific place, with a specific practice that they knew would be great inspiration to start their meditation practice.

The beauty of Pema Chödrön's words state what to me is becoming more and more obvious.  Where ever you go, there you are.  There you are, with everything you need to practice.  Every moment, every emotion that you feel, every experience you have is a chance to dive in and explore or to run away. 

This weekend I tried to go to a yoga class.  I wanted badly to have someone lead me.  I arrived at the studio and no one was at the desk.  I waited.  Eventually, I left.  As I was biking home I felt a deep sadness, disappointment, frustration and a longing to connect in a community.  I had motivated, tried to do something good for myself and it didn't work out.  So I came home, rolled out my mat, laid down on my abdomen on the surface and let myself be sad...just for a minute.  I accepted it.  Then I started to breath, deeply.  I let my abdomen fill and press into the ground.  Then I started moving. 


That's the thing about life.  It just keeps happening.  The more we fight our experiences, the more they harm us.  The more we are awake to the experiences, our ever changing emotions and thoughts that go along with them, the easier things get.   

Like Swami Satchitananda said, "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." 

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