A New Perspective
Get ready for the unexpected....the unfathomable....the beauty of personal revelations.
We are all given challenging climbs to move up the mountain of awakening. Somehow, the Cosmos knows our edges and presents the trail we can choose to overcome. It is a personal choice. Some sit at the bottom of hill waiting for someone to push and pull them as far as possible. Some tread the hill to a degree that reaches their point of resolution and let what happens happen.
Then, there are those individuals who face that stark uphill mountain, full of obstacles, areas of no visible light and resolve to climb it step by step...with the awareness that this mountain was exactly what they needed to live their life.
I am blessed to be a yoga guide for the pugnacious mountain climber. She has advanced cancer. Aggressive chemotherapy treatment to be followed by a double masectomy to be followed by a plethora of radiation treatments is one colossal mountain to climb. But, climb it, she does...with gratitude.
We share a special connection. The exchange of energy with the intention to heal, restore, and be in the present moment is priceless. Guiding her through a restorative practice left her feeling more open than she had felt in her life. The Pièce de résistance pose for her practice was Supta Baddha Konasana.
To see the glow on her face and feel relaxed energy resonate around her ...one would not know she has cancer if it was not for the lack of hair. Heck, for that matter, the lack of hair appears to be a choice based on the healthy energy she emanates after practice.
After practice, we discuss what impact each move made on her. A new perspective is in process. Issues that have weighed her down are being lifted. Confidence of who she is and meant to discover is being found. Each practice removes another layer of life's mental weights that have accumulated over time. The smile on her face and twinkle in her eye confirms it.
I recently asked her how she is emotionally handling the cancer journey as the surgery approaches. She simply responded with the statement that she has been given a blessing with cancer. My jaw slightly dropped in shock and she finished her truth. Without cancer, she would not have discovered who she truly was in her heart. A lifetime of unmentionable horrific memories intertwined with years of love followed by heart-breaking losses pushed her to this mountain. The terrain of responsibilities and perceived failures impaired her vision.
She embraces this mountain step by step. Each part of the journey has revealed a strength she did not know existed within her. If this is her last mountain to climb in this lifetime, she cherishes it. Each practice opens a crevice of perspective not thought of before. Ironically, she feels more alive now than before she got cancer. We know that cancer can and does end lives. Well, here is someone that states that her cancer is making it possible to heal old wounds and embrace each moment of life. It is a new perspective. Mortality is acknowledged, but the gift of time to grow is being welcomed with opened palms.
These open palms symbolize vulnerability, truthfulness and willingness to receive what comes. No need to grip what comes until white knuckled. Instead, like the breath, let it flow. Trusting the rhythm of life requires one to be vulnerable and courageous.
Life is not static. A still pose is not static. Even if nothing appears to be moving...the unseen atoms that provide the exterior its abilities is undulating its energy of life. The breath is nourishing the cells. The blood is flowing from the heart and into every facet of the body so it can use the breath to restore without ever quitting. Until the heart stops, all systems are go. Cancer or no cancer...we each live breath by breath.
Face your mountains. Each step you take will give you the opportunity to look back and see how far you have gone. Embrace the pauses and breathe in gratitude. Climb with the intention to see further than before. This is life. Sometimes you can be another's guide to help them in their climb...and sometimes you are the one who needs the push. Courage is required on both ends of the spectrum. Courage is a beautiful word, for the latin root of it (cor), is heart. Heart is what is counted on more than anything else when faced with challenges or showered with love.
Maybe the secret is to keep these two energies of give and take in balance. I feel this my opportunity to give the little pushes she needs via yoga. Without the strength and love of those who pushed me on my mountains, I would not be here to help her. What a blessing life is when one gains a new perspective as they tenaciously climb to the top of the unforeseen mountain. It is a rewarding and humbling view.
Your journey gives inspiration to another on their hike. Share. Assist. Push. Love. We're not here to live single-handedly. Give a hand or take a hand.
If you have a colossal mountain to climb, just remember...the higher the mountain, the greater the view.
We are all given challenging climbs to move up the mountain of awakening. Somehow, the Cosmos knows our edges and presents the trail we can choose to overcome. It is a personal choice. Some sit at the bottom of hill waiting for someone to push and pull them as far as possible. Some tread the hill to a degree that reaches their point of resolution and let what happens happen.
Then, there are those individuals who face that stark uphill mountain, full of obstacles, areas of no visible light and resolve to climb it step by step...with the awareness that this mountain was exactly what they needed to live their life.
I am blessed to be a yoga guide for the pugnacious mountain climber. She has advanced cancer. Aggressive chemotherapy treatment to be followed by a double masectomy to be followed by a plethora of radiation treatments is one colossal mountain to climb. But, climb it, she does...with gratitude.
We share a special connection. The exchange of energy with the intention to heal, restore, and be in the present moment is priceless. Guiding her through a restorative practice left her feeling more open than she had felt in her life. The Pièce de résistance pose for her practice was Supta Baddha Konasana.
To see the glow on her face and feel relaxed energy resonate around her ...one would not know she has cancer if it was not for the lack of hair. Heck, for that matter, the lack of hair appears to be a choice based on the healthy energy she emanates after practice.
After practice, we discuss what impact each move made on her. A new perspective is in process. Issues that have weighed her down are being lifted. Confidence of who she is and meant to discover is being found. Each practice removes another layer of life's mental weights that have accumulated over time. The smile on her face and twinkle in her eye confirms it.
I recently asked her how she is emotionally handling the cancer journey as the surgery approaches. She simply responded with the statement that she has been given a blessing with cancer. My jaw slightly dropped in shock and she finished her truth. Without cancer, she would not have discovered who she truly was in her heart. A lifetime of unmentionable horrific memories intertwined with years of love followed by heart-breaking losses pushed her to this mountain. The terrain of responsibilities and perceived failures impaired her vision.
She embraces this mountain step by step. Each part of the journey has revealed a strength she did not know existed within her. If this is her last mountain to climb in this lifetime, she cherishes it. Each practice opens a crevice of perspective not thought of before. Ironically, she feels more alive now than before she got cancer. We know that cancer can and does end lives. Well, here is someone that states that her cancer is making it possible to heal old wounds and embrace each moment of life. It is a new perspective. Mortality is acknowledged, but the gift of time to grow is being welcomed with opened palms.
These open palms symbolize vulnerability, truthfulness and willingness to receive what comes. No need to grip what comes until white knuckled. Instead, like the breath, let it flow. Trusting the rhythm of life requires one to be vulnerable and courageous.
Life is not static. A still pose is not static. Even if nothing appears to be moving...the unseen atoms that provide the exterior its abilities is undulating its energy of life. The breath is nourishing the cells. The blood is flowing from the heart and into every facet of the body so it can use the breath to restore without ever quitting. Until the heart stops, all systems are go. Cancer or no cancer...we each live breath by breath.
Face your mountains. Each step you take will give you the opportunity to look back and see how far you have gone. Embrace the pauses and breathe in gratitude. Climb with the intention to see further than before. This is life. Sometimes you can be another's guide to help them in their climb...and sometimes you are the one who needs the push. Courage is required on both ends of the spectrum. Courage is a beautiful word, for the latin root of it (cor), is heart. Heart is what is counted on more than anything else when faced with challenges or showered with love.
Maybe the secret is to keep these two energies of give and take in balance. I feel this my opportunity to give the little pushes she needs via yoga. Without the strength and love of those who pushed me on my mountains, I would not be here to help her. What a blessing life is when one gains a new perspective as they tenaciously climb to the top of the unforeseen mountain. It is a rewarding and humbling view.
Your journey gives inspiration to another on their hike. Share. Assist. Push. Love. We're not here to live single-handedly. Give a hand or take a hand.
If you have a colossal mountain to climb, just remember...the higher the mountain, the greater the view.
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