Honoring the Journey

Your child is snubbed at school and you immediately want to fix it, feeling the hurt as keenly as if it was your own.  Your husband is struggling because he doesn’t feel passionate about his job and you feel as if you need to fix it, as if you are partly to blame.  Your best friend is struggling with aging parents and you find it almost impossible to simply listen, wanting badly to ease her pain.  Do any of these scenarios resonate with you?

Yoga is always about balance, the understanding that life contains infinite possibilities and that we must truly see them through clear, unprejudiced eyes, employing our choices with love.  We must make these choices ourselves, dealing with unexpected twists and turns, making our journey.  And really, our journey is simply entitled “life”.

Think about your own life. It is certainly wonderful if you are empathic, like me, but it can be very hard to find the balance between empathizing and supporting someone versus taking on their load as your own.  It can be especially hard with kids, as we often define love as taking on their consequences as our own, handling tough situations for them and, in the process, robbing them of the lessons they learn by dealing with life’s challenges.

Through yoga, we can learn to let others have their journeys because yoga is always about balance.  It is certainly wonderful that we have loving friends to support us on our journey.  They may travel with us on much of it, they may provide wise counsel, they likely celebrate our successes and they certainly make the journey worth taking.  But if they carried us over every rough patch, if they robbed us of tough decisions, if they didn’t encourage us to climb the steepest paths, we would miss so much.  We wouldn’t grow and we certainly would not thrive.

So find the balance as you share and support others’ journey’s.  Look for opportunities to be Yoda, asking tough questions, challenging them to aim higher.  Practice simply loving and providing quiet support when it’s needed.  Find the times to simply join them in their journey, climbing alongside, helping them over boulders.  Look for ways to love and support them while simultaneously strengthening their ability to thrive in their life’s journey.

You can start this month by setting an intention to do the following:

Take 3-5 minutes each morning to sit, breathe and move before you start the day.  

• Sit on the floor or your mat with your eyes closed.
• First, simply notice your breath.  Let yourself settle into your breath, becoming absorbed in the sound and movement.
• Next, think about any worries you harbor for loved ones.
• With each exhale, let go of each worry.  With each inhale, draw in love, strength and wisdom.
• Continue this practice until you feel clear, strong and able to support your loved one from a place of calm, loving strength.

Listen to one of your yoga nidra recordings at least once a week

You will likely be doing other wonderful yoga related work  – going to studio classes, doing the home asana practices, reading the blog posts – but let the list above be your minimum baseline.

This yoga nidra meditation, Honor your Journey (33.30 minutes), will help you plant the intention “My gifts are unique and my potential is limitless.”  It’s intended to go along with the second meditation which focuses on honoring others’ journeys.  Get comfy and enjoy!

Start Meditation

Relax and enjoy your daily March,  ‘Embracing Abundance’ yoga nidra recording.  This meditation is 23 minutes in length. Be completely comfy and ready before starting the recording.

Start Meditation

Start Meditation

Start Meditation with Music

Reminder: Any poses or breath techniques I cue in an asana practice are merely suggestions.  Your body and your doctor know more than I do, so only do what makes sense and is recommended for you.

Your Honoring the Journey asana practice warms up the body, starting at your roots (legs) and moving up to your arms and head (branches).   This practice is 22 minutes long and is intended to ready the body for yoga nidra meditation.

Props:  Mat, tennis ball and a block, or other similar household items.  Have a blanket, bolster and eye pillow ready if you will be meditating after the practice.

Start Practice 1

We can’t really be there for others unless we are strong and grounded ourselves.  In fact, we may attract people with drama and absorb it as our own if we are not firmly rooted.  Grounding ourselves ensures we are strong, able to handle our own journey and able to be there able to be there for others.  It helps us keep that balance between our energy and that of others, allowing us to provide a healthy support system.

Stand in mountain pose – feet hip distance apart, all four corners of both feet firmly set upon the floor, posture following the natural curve of the spine, chin slightly tucked, arms by your sides.  Draw each inhale up through the soles of your feet, feeling the strength and solidity of the earth moving up through you, infusing you with strength.  With each exhale, release all emotions, worries and tensions down through the soles of your feet, letting them transition into roots, weaving their way down through the soil.  Continue breathing in this way until you feel strong, safe and clear.

Here’s a nice article on how to stand strong if you are an oversensitive person who takes on others emotions: https://introvertdear.com/news/4-ways-for-sensitive-introverts-to-stop-absorbing-other-peoples-energy/