Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice is here! Today we celebrate in the Northern Hemisphere the shortest day and the longest night of the year. According to my research this is the one astronomical event with the most rituals and ceremonies, dating back 30,000 years. This is a time where many of us are drawn inwards to see where we are and where we want to go. I have been looking at my life -with humility and courage- trying to see what needs to change and where do I want to head next. I chose to let go of my two Black Dog evening classes, which was a really hard decision to make. I had been feeling for the last few years that I am not the best teacher in the evenings. My energy tends to drop and I really am at my best during the day. It also takes me at least 40 minutes to get to class with rush-hour traffic. And still, knowing all of that, I was afraid of letting go of the classes because my fear set in: Will I have enough money to get by? Will I still be a popular teacher? Will my students be angry at me?
So often we make decisions out of fear or even worse, we don't make decisions out of fear! Yoga teaches and invites us to identify with the part of us that is ever-expansive, ever-evolving, ever-becoming (Sakti) and remember that that is our true essence. Once we connect to that essence, we are able to courageously make decisions that will enhance our lives and inevitably enhance life itself! I let go of the classes in the evening and my friend Joy will take over then and I am sure that she will be so great. I also want to make room next year for the Teacher Training I am doing with Keric, the Black Dog Teacher Training, as well as the Immersion that Hagar and I are doing. Whew! I also want to continue with my writing classes (of course!) and start taking some courses on Craneosacral Therapy, which is something I have been dreaming about for years.
I read a story recently that inspired me. It was about a sailor who had a parrot that he loved. The sailor gave up his pipe smoking when he noticed his beloved parrot developed a hacking cough. Worried, he took the parrot to the vet to make sure that the parrot was okay. The vet gave the parrot a through check and reported that indeed the parrot was fine. "But why was the parrot coughing," the sailor asked? "Because it was imitating you," the doctor said.
This story touched me because so often we imitate the fears and bad habits of society and those around us. I grew up with a lot of fear, being told repeatedly to not "rock the boat," to not "ask questions," to "stay quiet." Slowly you being to internalize all these fears and identify solely with the parts of you that are limited and afraid. Like the parrot we metaphorically cough without being sick! The good news is that through all these years of practicing yoga we are invited to identify with our true ancestry which is freedom itself; we are invited to identify with the part of us that ever becoming! We literally come to class thinking we cannot do something, only to align physically, mentally and spiritually and then do it!
May we connect with that part of us that is vast and courageous and make choices that will enhance our life. Happy Winter Solstice everyone!
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