It IS The Little Things
Each time I teach a class or read a book, I hear a little nugget that makes me happy I do what I do. Here are some examples:
A student who has attended 6-7 classes with me showed me her siddhasana (cross-legged sitting) this week - along with the comment: ‘When I started your class I couldn’t sit like this.’ That’s her work, not mine; and I love that she is noticing changes.
Working on the wall - The comment made after class that ‘when we work on the wall, we aren’t as concerned about falling, so can pay more attention to the pose’. Great insight - love it.
Answering a question with a bit of research - A student asked for poses that will help the liver. Since that is not always something I think about (“this pose is good for ____”), I promised to do a bit of research and send her ideas. I did as I’d committed, and received a very nice note thanking me.
For me, this practice has always been about the ‘little things’. Early in my yoga journey, I realized that I was tighter that most. Tightness is o.k., not a bad thing; however, it can make one feel ‘less than’; especially in a room filled with those more flexible, who have more yoga background, and/or populated by many younger than me. After all, we do have egos, whether we admit it or not - that’s a topic for another post.)
So, what to do? I decided at some point that I could focus on the little things - the pieces of a pose that I do well and with skillful action. For example, when moving from down dog to plank to chaturanga and back to down dog, I received teaching that emphasized keeping hands (and feet) in one place throughout these movements. No shifting of hands, no sliding feet back as I moved into plank (in other words, no wasting of energy); I learned (and practiced) having my hands/feet equally distant in my down dog and plank. To this day, when I transition this way, my hands (and feet) don’t move.
And, what happened? Well, in my mind it became an equalizer; I might be able to do something others couldn’t by keeping my hands skillfully placed. Seems like a little thing, but so valuable for my view of my practice (ego).
While the big poses are great fun and offer a sense of accomplishment, my belief is that the BIG poses won’t happen as beautifully without the little pieces & parts. So, if you attend one of my classes rest assured you will get the ‘pieces & parts’.
I began writing this post yesterday. The book I am reading in the mornings (titled ‘Enlighten Up’, by Beth Gibbs) is a journey through the subtle body (in yoga terms, the koshas). I am about 60 pages in and at the end of the chapter I read this morning, she mentions ‘step 2 of 9 to self awareness’. Panic button fires in my head — did I miss step 1 ?!?!?!?. So, a quick review of the pages read, where I found Step 1 - which I had read but forgotten.
Get ready — what is step 1? “Become aware of your body and your environment.” It goes on to reference a Professor at MIT who, in 1963, posited that a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil could result in a hurricane in Texas (he realized through mathematical calculations that tiny butterfly-scale changes can have a significant and unpredictable effect on weather patterns).
What does this say? Small changes can have BIG consequences. ‘Pieces & parts’ don’t seem so off-kilter now, do they?
So, carrying this off the page — I plan to continue my focus on the little things. It is all part of our journey; whether your goal is BIG poses, learning more about yourself, and/or experiencing life a bit more fully.
Enjoy your day & smile under that mask — you may change someone’s day!
Leave me a comment; I’d love to hear your little (and BIG) stories.
