Refuge
Refuge
Where is your refuge?
I spent the entire day today in resistance. I woke up consumed by a part so fiercely blended that I was unable to unhook from its messages for the majority of the day. I was caught up in the content of the storyline which was a real hindrance to finding any ease.
The spiral today was unravelling with such force it was difficult to meet my state of heart and mind. In moments like these, having a refuge is a gift. Having a refuge creates a space where you can be in the full human experience that we call life.
Fighting the battle of resistance occurred all day, unwilling to feel my vulnerabilities which showed up in different forms such as blame, feeling like I am the only going through this and shutting down. Once I finally surrendered into feeling it all, there was an instant shift. The anguish and contraction in my body changed into ease and softness instead. This is very difficult to be present with if you are not slowing down. Other routes such as by passing or denying the attention can feel more harmful yet we seem to turn towards them more readily.
I took a seat on my mat and got into a Yin pose, then another and so on. The remembering was instant. I am often astounded at how quickly I can forget yet when I remember to pause, how immediate the resonance of remembering is.
What is this remembering? It is our wisdom nature, doing less and listening with depth to what is needed rather than keeping unnecessarily busy to feel we are doing something of importance and value. By doing less we are offering more. By slowing down we are able to make a U Turn and see where we are stuck in our patterns and behaviours, then we can unhook and free ourselves.
A Yoga or Meditation practice offers us that pause when we are unable to remember whilst in the midst of the spiral of doing.
My mat and meditation cushion are my refuge.
In a class of like minded practitioners you get to be in that collective field, a practice of stillness and quietude within a community of practitioners. What a benefit it is to cultivate presence.
The functions of Yoga are important to keep us safe in the body, the function nourishes our muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons while the stillness and quietude of the practice unveils insights into our true nature. It provides a refuge and gives permission to all feeling tones as well as physical, emotional and psychological states to feel welcomed and tended to. Yoga is a place to feel it all. It guides us into opening our hearts even under the most difficult circumstances and conditions.
Where is your refuge?
