Unraveling the Myth of the Pose:
How are those New Year’s Resolutions going, Team?
I know, I know, it’s hard to change a habit or to even begin a new one because we can get caught on our patterns.
But you can do it, if you stick to it.
For example, I used to be late everywhere. It was a really bad habit. It was a selfish one that told people unconsciously that my time was more important than theirs. And it took me a lot of painful clarity to break this habit.
Samsara is the sanskrit word for the cyclical pattern of habits in which we all can get stuck, very often including habits that aren’t so beneficial for us.
The practice of yoga can help us remove the veil of avidya or toxic and unclear beliefs which might be keeping us from seeing our patterns truthfully. For a long time I thought that being late meant that I was really important because I had soooo many things to do each day. I equated lateness with success. In order to stop this habit, which was quickly losing me friends and getting me in a lot of trouble, I needed to clearly see the reason behind why I held dearly to my unreasonable timelines and identify new ways of supporting my self worth.
Shiva (the Destroyer) is one part of the Hindu trinity along with Brahma (the Creator) and Vishnu (the Preserver). Shiva teaches us that everything that is born and created must also pass and be destroyed because the cycle of death clears the pathway for new life. This is the cosmic dance of change. Nothing holds us permanently. We are all capable of great change and transformation. It is our nature.
Slowly, I began to implement a consequence and reward system for my tardiness and started enjoying more time and less stress in my days. All this change was definitely accompanied with plenty of fear.
“What if the MTA shuts down again? Can I really blame being late on traffic?”
The fear didn’t help anything, but what did help everything was a lot of compassion. On the path to change, I needed to realize that I was, and still am, in process. This sympathetic concern for myself gave me the permission to be late every now and then without beating myself up.
Change takes time and I don’t need to have it all transformed right now.
This month’s pose is a doozy. It requires a big backbend while balancing on one foot. This pose takes time, it requires some compassion and probably a few million attempts.
Change is the ultimate balancing act of destroying old habits to make way for new habits. It is a practice that requires a little bit of bravery and a whole lotta compassion.
And knowing that we’re on this journey now, maybe, eventually, we can break through this cycle
completely and celebrate in ultimate freedom.
Enjoy the complete pose in the downloadable breakdown below of getting into Natarajasana also known as Lord or the Dancer Pose .
Mucho Namaste—Sarah
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