It’s been an odd feeling I had for about a week … then it happens – an unexpected call from Japan. My mother is hospitalized. So off I go … in haste, praying she will recover.
Comparing and reminiscing the past with the present can be magical and … then sad. Stuck in the past one is no longer open and receptive to what’s in the present, so stubbornly holding onto “this is the way” it should be, it ought to be – mentality. Let’s let that go … It’s all Yin approached with safety and comfort in mind.
(Take notice – the dark within the light; the light within the dark – and the contents will change … if one is engaging in the opposite style such as the yang style during the yin phases of the day, then all the more, being mindful to not just force it – And the opposite can be the case; when one practices Yin during the Yang timeframe of the day, then, gentle dynamic movements prepares the body and mind so that surrendering into yin poses are done with grace and ease … Please be “flexible” to that idea, and not be slave to the idea that it’s all static and passive:)
Yin yoga is not always all static, and long passively held poses. The Chinese character Yin means … shadows. If you see the symbol, there’s always a bit of yang in the yin and visa versa. For those stiff and hardened bodies, there’s such a thing as Preparation to get the Most out of your Yin Practice, if you’ve been away from it awhile. So if I see anyone who is new or starting out or don’t get it, we will do some preparations through movements.
Trust me. Otherwise, might as well stay home within one’s own comfort zone – Yin yoga is not the same as Restorative Yoga. I am finding out, a good teacher, who really wants improvements and growth in the students who bothered to show up, no matter what age, should challenge a student while making all movements and held poses accessible. To get into stillness with dynamic preparation is one way – it’s not stirring up, it’s not bringing on the agitation – trust, trust, trust. With trust, there’s progress into softness, flexibility, grace and … bliss. Trust me; Trust Yoga. It’s best to retain that child-like curiosity about one’s own body and be willing to try. Let’s not define “Yin” so much. Be less dogmatic, be open, be supple, be soft, be … flexible … over time, you’d be glad you had. Light, less burdened and free. I just seek harmony. Then we will find our peace. Harmonic Yin … yes.
My mother is out of ICU and on the mend thanks to great doctors and nurses here in the middle of Tokyo. 