I felt in need of some serenity and grounding this evening so had a look through some photos I took of my garden a few years ago in June. In fact by the look of the lawn and the border it may have been before we had Alfie who now does his best to turn the garden into a dog playground! Anyway, this picture makes me feel peaceful and it is also an important spot for me.
Some time ago, when I was feeling quite stressed, I talked to Rita, my yoga teacher, and she suggested I visualise myself in a pleasant spot, rooted to the ground in a way that felt good to me. The spot I picked was this very patch of lawn, and I saw myself standing barefoot on the grass. Ever since, I have used this image often when I need some stillness and peace.
There are no coincidences, I believe, and earlier today I have been transcribing my interview with Rita for the worry project. Having attended her yoga classes every Friday whenever I could for several years now, just the sound of Rita’s voice is very calming and reassuring. I love the way she says the same things every week, reminding us to leave our week behind, that this hour is just for us. I also really appreciate the feeling of trust and safety that comes with lying, eyes closed, warmed with a blanket, relaxing deeply with a number of other people. We trust Rita to watch over us while we let go, and we trust each other with our vulnerability.
Most weeks, I go to yoga thinking it’s a bit of a stretch and a relax, and half way through remember that it can actually be very challenging and rather hard work! But I find even the hard work and concentration quite meditative, and, although the movements may seem slow, the class is never, ever boring.
All this is reminding me how much I am looking forward to yoga this Friday. I have had work or other commitments every Friday for the past few weeks, and have really missed my class, but of course life does happen and responsibilities have to be attended to. When I can get there, it’s my time to stop and just be, an opportunity to live in my whole body and be really present for a whole hour.
I do practise at home, and for the past year have kept to my commitment to do some yoga, even just a brief tree before bed, every single day. I am convinced that this practice has improved my quality of life, especially my sleep, and helped me to be more centred during the rest of the day. For a while it felt like a cop-out that I was often only practising for a very few minutes, but now I see it differently: I suspect that it is more beneficial to do some yoga every day than a longer session once or twice a week. It’s been a matter of bringing it into my every day life.
So this post has been a little selfish, in a way. Finding the photo and tapping away about yoga for a few minutes has stilled my mind and reminded me to be aware of my body and not live too much in my head, always a temptation for me. If you practise yoga, you may recognise my sentiments. If you don’t, perhaps because it might seem slow or boring, I invite you to have a go. It’s worth visiting several different classes if you don’t find a teacher you resonate with straight away, and once you do, it’s worth attending several times so that you start to feel relaxed in the environment, get to know the others in the class, and really let go to benefit as much as possible from the session. Have fun and Namaste.
I took a Qi Gong class once and our teacher would have us stand still but imagine that we were a flower and with each breath our roots grew down deeper and our stem grew taller. Eventually with each breath our flower would slowly open. Whenever I am really stressed or having trouble sleeping, I go back to the same imagery. Thinking about myself as a growing flower and concentrating on my breath leaves no room for outside distractions!
That’s a lovely visualisation, thanks for sharing it.
Hello Harriet! I’m here via UBC! :) Thank you for this looovely and calming post…it relaxed me just reading it, quite honestly! And there is nothing selfish I see about it–on the contrary! What a wonderful and elegant reminder to just take time to be still and allow ourselves the space to be “vulnerable”…aaaaaahhhh. I remember when I used to think yoga was not for me because it was so slow, but once I discovered it, my life got so much better! And what a lovely patch of garden! Have a pretty day!
Thank you for your lovely comments. I really appreciate what you said.
Love eyenie’s reply. And agree, we need to more often take time to be still.
For me, yoga was a real eye opener. I imagined it to be basically breathing and stretching. I was surprised at how much work it was physically, but also to quiet my mind that was telling me to do something else! lol I always have such clarity after my yoga workout.
Thanks for the reminders!
Anne
Thanks for your comment!
Very interesting post. I like the idea of the spot in your garden. I agree, it is good to take control over our thoughts that want to run away.
Selfish ? No – Time spent on yourself re charging your batteries is never selfish . Stepping off the busy treadmill of life for a few moments now and again makes us better people – not just for ouselves but for those around us and those we come into contact with along the way – If we feel good , a smile and a ” Hi” is better than a scowl and a head down – Its the ripple effect. I am glad you found the time to find your space inside yourself.
Thank you Rita, I love the point you make. And yes, that space, once found, is always available when we remember, isn’t it?