Isn’t it ironic?
The lyrics of Alannis Morrisette's song Isn't It Ironic popped into my head last week, as I got up from doing a quick yoga flow and tweaked my back. So acutely that I yelped out loud like a tiny terrified terrier.
The irony? I had decided that in preparation for last Sunday's class, I would simply focus on relaxing. I wanted to be more relaxed: both in terms of my own preparation for class (letting go of the perfectionism that often arises internally that I *must* create something earth-shatteringly profound each time I teach lol). And, in terms of understanding that what we all crave is a sense of peace and relaxation, and setting out to share just that.
You see, earlier in the month, my dear friend Jennie (on this list) had pointed me to a video of Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat, Pray, Love), where she was asked a question that went something along the lines of "What do you think is the most important way we can show up as humans?"
To which she replied, "To be relaxed." [You can read more of her analysis in this article I found here].
It sounded so simple. But the more I thought about it, the more profound and true it felt for me.
To show up relaxed means that we can approach challenges from a more centered and grounded place, replacing reactivity with responsiveness. Yoga can help facilitate that state of being, nudging us to identify more with our witness rather than our inner harpy/Medusa/anxiety-ridden bossy boots (speaking for myself, of course).
And, so I wanted to teach last week that one simple thing.
Except that in practicing doing so, I triggered excruciating pain for the next few days.
Just like Alanis says in her song:
Well, life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out
When you think everything's gone wrong
And everything blows up in your face
And it's the last 3 sentences of that stanza I've been mulling on lately, as I have cycled through frustration at not being able to teach, and fatigue at being physically injured.
Maybe this has been life's way of reminding me to be grateful for my health, to take care of myself, and rest when I need to. Life certainly got me into an appointment with a hunky chiropractor who pushed my bones in all the right places and made me feel a helluva lot better. So there's gratitude for that too. There are always people who can help.
