Coming to our mats for our practice, we begin to realize that we are living, organic creatures. As we become present in our practice we realize that we are soft, malleable, organic beings. Who hasn’t felt tired on their mat, sore, cranky, joyful, content at some point in your practice? And this is why I will sometimes think of us as piece of fruit: sometimes we are bright and juicy, plump and full of life. At other times we are like the bruised fruit that sits at the bottom of our fruit bowl or the crisper drawer in the refrigerator, neglected and forgotten. Maybe we’re a little banged up, a little soft, and not our brightest color or vibrancy.
But what if with a little self-care we could polish up that true self and become the shiny, juicy fruit that we all can be? And that’s why we come to our mats for our practice – to learn to hold that sense of true self and acknowledge that we will shift and change, by the year, the week, the day, even the hour. We’re organic, and not unlike that piece of fruit, we change with time. It’s the challenge of acceptance that becomes the work – knowing that we aren’t always the same but accepting that it’s part of the path that we’re on.
We can hold ourselves accountable for the choices we make, and these choices can certainly effect us daily on our mats, in our lives and interactions with others around us. But what if for a moment we forgave ourselves for being tired, sore, hung over, cranky, too this or too that, and just realized that, like our practice, we’re going to change every day. That’s why it’s a “practice” -we’re never done, and thank goodness for that! We have so much to learn and create in this lifetime, and if we slip or aren’t always the shiniest, juiciest versions of ourselves, that’s okay. It doesn’t mean we can’t practice getting there, it just means that we can offer ourselves a little truth and kindness (satya and ahimsa) along the way.
So this week as you get on your mat, acknowledge yourself – all the stuff that feels good, and all the stuff that needs a little extra attention and support from you. Embrace your juicy self, and enjoy the journey!