Lately I’ve been circling back to a flow I developed a while back that moves through a lot of balancing postures to strengthen the core without aggravating the lower back, shoulder girdle, and wrists. It’s a great leaping off point (pun intended) for moving into toppling tree, pictured above. As I’ve been adding on, changing the flow slightly, new insights are beginning to emerge.
Why do we do these balances anyhow? As I mentioned in the original article, I enjoy changing up my routine flow to move my body in different ways. It keeps me from relying on muscle memory. It strengthens my body in new ways. Beyond the body, however, is my reaction to how I’m moving through the flow on any given days. Some days, I fall in quickly and have no problems moving through half moon, warrior 3, crescent, holding toppling tree, lowering and lifting effortlessly. Other days it’s all I can do to hold myself steady in crescent lunge and the rest is a wobbly mess. Sometimes my reaction is frustration, anger, giving up. Other times it is the polar opposite, laughter and a will to keep going despite the fact that I know I’ll keep wobbling the entire way through.
The reaction to non-perfection is a lens to my state of mind on any given day. When I meet challenge with frustration, there’s something deeper happening. There’s some other frustration in my life, something bothering me whether on a conscious or subconscious level. Days where I experience laughter and joy despite the fact that I’m weebly wobbly are days where I should perhaps pause and remind myself how good life is.
Either way, the point of this realization is not so much to change my mind state, but to shine a light on what is happening today. How will I react to the world today? How will I meet the challenges that come my way? If something isn’t perfect, will I have a hissy fit or will I shrug my shoulders? The simple awareness of how I might react usually shifts the reaction, making me more likely to pause and breathe instead of instantaneous response. Here, I find my balance.
