DAILY Are we unwritten books waiting to fill each blank page with our idiosyncratic beliefs and characters? Or, is it a previous plot, a soul’s memoir that leaves space only for prepositions and minor detail? (Oh lordy, those seemingly small, insignificant prepositions that instantly change the face of the moment.) In the vitality of spring the ability to write our pages in present time feels more available, less pre-scripted. Perhaps it is only the excess of green ooze filling every pore that jumps our spirit into that ‘I am’ exultation and creation.
With Gaia exploding into life, breathing abundance and authorship of beauty without measure, it feels as if we can, indeed, must attend our blank pages in every moment, lest life careen past, and our flowers fade and die without admiration. Our creativity, mirroring Gaia’s, surges with fascinating verbs, over-arching adjectives, and choiceful prepositions demanding growth and exploration.
Winter does not feel the same. We are not called upon to attend such erotic chartreuse chaos. Capricorn’s Saturnine bone structure sets a measured pace. We move within where the imaginal plot holds gravitas, asking our stories and characters to stand outlined in greater precision. It doesn’t mean those pages are easier, but it’s not the same free for all, higgledy-pigged, bawdy-be-in-the-moment cacophony of spring.
Does it matter whether we are writing daily/ hourly/moment by moment pages? Does it give us more power to be that kind of a change agent? If the pages are not blank, but written in soul-stone, invisible ink that reveals itself as we follow our own ‘fooking instructions,’ is life less valued, less precious?
Either way, perhaps the really worthwhile questions are…”Do I like this plot? Are my characters strong and true? Does my story have something lively and important to impart? Am I in the service of masterful mystery? Or, am I writing pulp? Have I chosen my words, my adventurous dreams wisely, with mindfulness and love? Do I honor the energy I’m using to stay present to each moment to make this page the best?
Asana: An arm balance. Any one will do for they more than most other Asana bring us into present moment focus, and give our stories zing!
If you choose, work with Bakasana/Crane Pose. If you are a beginner, place a block under your forehead until you feel safe enough to lift off. If you are doing more advanced work, experiment with jumping from Down Dog into Bakasana, then move into tripod headstand, then lift back into Bakasana.
Other variations on the Bakasana theme are: Eka pada Bakasana, extending one leg back, or out in front; Eka Pada Sirsa Bakasana, bringing one leg up over the head to rest on the back of the neck; and Parsva Bakasana, taking the Pose to one side, resting the left outer knee against the upper right arm. Of course changing sides in all of the above.
Health Notes: All arm balances strengthen arms, abdominals, and legs, building upper body strong bones. As importantly, they teach us to move beyond our fears, to commit to showing up ‘failure after failure.’ The difficult Poses are when the Practice becomes the great teacher of patience and true wisdom-strength. Our willingness to commit to something that at first seems far beyond our capacities, instructs that if we remain focused, committed, willing, there is little we cannot do.
Think of the really difficult ones as ‘five year plans.’
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