For those who may be interested, here is my latest blog post... The Inner Alchemist Have you ever found yourself steeped so deeply into the flow of your yoga practice that seemingly nothing could break your attention? Then suddenly the teacher calls handstand (or insert your own aversion pose) and you immediately decide this would be a fantastic time to break your meditative mood and quietly excuse yourself for a strategic bathroom break? Full disclosure here people- I did this for years. And to be completely forthright, it became worse once I became a yoga teacher. For quite some time, I held within myself an insecurity about the asanas I couldnt do as if that was somehow a referendum upon my validity as a teacher. Yes, I knew better but somehow this knowledge didnt possess the requisite power to unseat my feeling of ineptitude. I would hide in the guise of, My yoga is the spiritual yoga. Its not about standing on my hands. There, I said it. Uh oh, I also heard what I said and soon came to realize that I was simply trying to avoid stepping out of my comfort zone. This of course is the exact opposite of spiritual growth. In fact, in my experience there have not been many greater catalysts for spiritual growth than stretching beyond my comfort zone. In the dawning of the recognition of my own self trickery, I became awake to an equally disturbing yet intriguing invitation: Handstand would become the new epicenter of my spiritual practice. And thats when things started feeling a bit more exciting. A bit more alive. In this moment, I accepted the challenge to expand. To expand into new possibilities for myself and in the process, dissolve the shackles of self imposed limitations that kept me playing small. I began to see this handstand experiment as a form of inner alchemy; transforming a place of struggle into a place of freedom. Since that day, Ive practiced the arm balance postures, including handstand, on a daily basis. Its been an exquisite practice; challenging, humbling, inspiring and liberating. And of course its not about acquiring the pose. Rather its about the way in which I approach it and the paradoxical coexisting of perseverance and detachment, which as Ive come to learn is the ultimate yoga, at least for me. As one of my teachers, Jordan Bloom, would say, Its not how far you go but how you go far. Its been a fascinating new phase of growth, stepping into the uncomfortable. And perhaps the most cherished part has been learning to translate these lessons into my life. Back in the day I would never have let myself be happy until I accomplished my goal. As if standing on your hands is the shortcut to genuine happiness. Ive learned to take joy in the breakthroughs and find grace in the setbacks. Ive learned the lesson of santosha, or contentment, and stopped confusing it with complacency. And Ive learned that there is a direct correlation between the diminishing of striving and the awakening of skillful ness. Its amazing what happens when you turn your world upside down. Peace, Love & Swagger~ Scott ps- I still cant do a handstand every time I try. But sometimes I do and Im cool with that.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 20:56:28 +0000
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