4 Seconds of Flow

I got stuck this morning. My 10-year old, bless her heart, missed her bus and I had to drive her to school. Granted, this was the first time this year that this has happened. And, driving her to school is not really a big deal because my schedule today is pretty flexible and the school is only about a 10-minute drive. Yet, I found myself critical, annoyed, frustrated. I could see that holding onto this episode was neither necessary nor useful. Stuckness.

After I dropped her off, I took the opportunity of being out earlier than usual to take a walk. After all, we are at balmy 15 Celsius and its a beautiful sunny day here. The snow is melting and the rivers are rushing. My lesson was right there in the flowing water: soften, release, and move on.

I’m always very clear with my yoga students that I am decidedly NOT a flow teacher. Sure, I can teach a good Vinyasa class, I’ve done it many times, but it's not my true love.

Yet, the IDEA of FLOW is very important to me, and, like any dedicated Vinyasa student knows, it’s about much more than gracefully transitioning between poses. It’s about learning to identify where

I’m stuck, to have the presence of mind to see it, and then take steps to get back into the flow.

In my case, this was taking a walk outside, consciously focusing on my breath, and recognizing the lessons in water.

Like this stream flowing beneath the melted snow outside my house, I think about where, and how I can soften and let go of my ideas about how I want things to be long enough to once again tap into the flow that’s there just beneath the surface of my resistance.

After all, if the flexibility, attention to breath and graceful movement I cultivate in my yoga practice doesn’t allow me to flow more easily in MY LIFE then what’s the point?

Consider:

• What does flow look like for you today?
• Where might you be stuck in work or life?
• What are the tools you already have and know well (asana, breath, nature, etc.) to soften, let go, and move on?

We’ll be delving deeper into the point of yoga practice and how to actually USE the tools and practices we know and love even MORE fully beginning next week.  If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll consider joining me!