How can you follow the course of your life
If you do not let it flow?
Lao-Tzu
If you’ve been around me lately, you know I have been dealing with an aggravated back pain. My brothers and sisters and I refer to our back issues as the Reinke curse. All of us remain physically active, working out regularly, to strengthen our back muscles, but we all continue to have back issues from time to time. My husband, yoga students and chiropractor marvel that I can be so strong and still have these issues flair up from time to time.
This is part of the flow of my life, these back issues that flair up from time to time. When they happen, I try not to let them define me. If people ask, they will hear my story, but otherwise, I flow through my life with nearly the same energy as when I am healthy.
Life flows that way, and I have come to accept it. There are good days, and there are bad days. Why dwell on the bad days, when better days are ahead? Instead, reflect upon the challenge of the day, and then move on.
In yoga, as we finish our final relaxation, we take a moment to hug ourselves. During that time, I ask the yoga students to reflect on their practice. I ask them to recognize the places where they challenged themselves, but I also ask them to recognize the places where they were challenged, where they needed to modify a pose. It’s okay to say, “Today I took it easy on my [fill in the blank].” We recognize the ebb and flow of life, the ups and downs, and we incorporate them into our daily and weekly yoga practice.
In life, we are reminded to just go with the flow. Offering resistance never works out, in the long run. Moving with the flow allows us to heal faster, whether we are suffering a physical or mental or emotional body. We are meant to be present in the good times as well as the bad times, but always understand, this, too, shall pass.