monday's mantra
it all works . . . until it doesn't;
because everything is good . . . until it's not.
we all search for absolutes. we want there to be one true way . . . and how nice it would be if this one true way would stay constant and consistent.
but the truth of the matter is, our lives are forever evolving and changing. and what worked for us yesterday is not guaranteed to be effective tomorrow.
*therefore we must never be so wed to one behavior, one belief, or one way of thinking, that we don't recognize the moment its time to discard*
i'm reminded this week of how necessary - and hard - it is to make the switch.
its been many months since i heard the dreaded pop of my hamstring. for weeks, i was sidelined . . . leaving my
mat, forlorn, collecting dust in a corner.
mat, forlorn, collecting dust in a corner.and for months after that - i coddled and cared for my ailing hammy. fearing all extensions, i entered this danger zone with a cautious bent knee. <sigh> i had resigned myself to the long healing journey.
too long, perhaps. for i was doing exactly as i should . . . until i wasn't.
for now, the same precautions i had been taking to heal - are the exact adaptations that now hold me back.
its hard to know when that moment occurs. the precise time when we must abandon our trusty ways and adopt anew. with no manual to direct, its not an exact science.
but here's the key . . . be open.
the first time my teacher said, straighten your leg - i admit, i balked. didn't he remember my injury?
the next day i saw him, he assisted me deeper and again, asked me to straighten my leg. then for the next few days, thereafter - it seemed to be a conspiracy between all my teachers to get me to abandon my faithful <fearful> modification. they could see what i simply could not. my progress was apparent to them, while the fear of being hurt blinded me to my own advancement, and kept me stuck in a place of regression.
while all my accommodations served me well, they simply served me no longer.
and after one full week off *my crutches* - i've achieved postures i felt might be forever forbidden.
the months i spent in recovery mode were helpful and necessary. however the day had come, as scar tissue now replaced muscle- that those same adaptations i was forced to learn, had now become obstacles in my healthy growth.
so ask yourself a question . . .is there something in your life that has served YOU well - but serves you no longer?
perhaps you too are being encouraged to give up a behavior, that at one time kept you safe - but now keeps you stuck. or a belief that once worked for you - and now contradicts. perhaps even a relationship or career that has simply run its course.
my friend - there simply are no absolutes. and we must be willing to adapt our behaviors and our beliefs if we're ever to evolve.
as for this stubborn yogi, apparently the first step towards opening my hamstring . . . was simply, opening my mind.
Posted by peg mulqueen at 11/1/2009 6:28 PM 
Categories: life lessons, discovery, monday's mantra
Tags: healing injured hamstring
Categories: life lessons, discovery, monday's mantra
Tags: healing injured hamstring
Being open. What a wonderful intention for today. Thank you.
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Well said, Peg. So often the very things that get us ahead are often the same things that eventually hold us back in some way.
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Quite inspiring,
Keep up the good work,
Thanks for writing, most people don't bother.
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