Today, my yoga instructor called my attention to the fact that when we practice yoga, we practice many of the same asanas (poses) repeatedly. I don’t know why this never really struck me before given that the definition of practice includes the words “repeatedly” and “habitually.” Just like yoga, life is often about the repetition and practicing of tasks and activities. As she said this, I realized that it’s not what we’re doing that matters, so much as how we show up for what we’re doing. I have practiced the downward facing dog probably over 400 times at this point yet each time I practice, I continue to show up and adjust my body, steadily hoping to achieve the perfect alignment, hoping to grow in flexibility and strength each time. I realize that I don’t always do this in my life. For some reason intention doesn’t always get set and life happens somewhat haphazardly.
There have been many times where I have grown frustrated with routine and complained endlessly. In those moments I was not showing up for what life was presenting me in the present moment. I must admit that in those times I lost my strength. I lost my integrity. I lost my love. I let the redundancy of my outer circumstances become monotonous and boring rather than showing up effectively for life. I’m sure you all know what this feels like whether it’s day 900 in the same job that doesn’t bring your soul to life, doing the 100th load of laundry in that year, loading the dishwasher (or as in my case doing them by hand) for the 150th time of the year, or brushing your teeth for the 300th time of the year. Most of life is made up of routine tasks that we must show up for again and again. How much energy have we spent bemoaning these tasks as we do them?
It’s funny how on the mat I show up again and again for the same poses practiced in a multitude of sequences. Yet, in life, when the same “poses” present themselves I grow tired of them and wish for something new. Maybe it isn’t that I need something new but that I need to do the same things in different ways. Maybe it is simply the sequence that needs to change in some facets of my life rather than the structure of the poses. What I mean by this is that maybe I need to focus on throwing some spontaneity into the routine of life. I may need to update the sequence of what my routine looks like and intentionally alter some little things in my practice of life so that I continue to fall in love with life instead of being lulled into a coma by it.
Alternately, maybe it’s the mindset that we bring into the routine of life that makes all the difference. Rather than resent the job that you go to, maybe you thank it for providing for your needs. Rather than looking at the cup your washing and thinking about how much you wish you didn’t have to do dishes, maybe you could show appreciation for the cup that held the nourishment that you just ingested, the artisan who designed he cup, the factory that produced the cup, the materials that went into the cup, or the beverage that you just drank. Rather than looking at the pile of laundry and feeling overwhelmed and frustrated that you have yet more to do, you could look at it with love and gratitude that you have such a variety of clothing to wear or maybe be grateful that you have a washing machine and dryer or, if you don’t, that there is someone in the business of allowing you to do your laundry with their machines. You could also silently thank the people who made the clothing for you to wear, those who transported them to the store, the clerk who helped you purchase it, etc.
When we start looking more deeply at the routines of life, we begin to see trillions of reasons to be grateful. Today I watched an episode of “The Universe” on Netflix. I’m not usually a space nut, but learning about the sun in the first episode made me feel incredibly grateful that we were placed exactly where we were in the solar system. They explained that if we were just a bit closer to the sun, all of our water sources would burn up making this a wasteland. If we were just a bit farther, we’d all be frozen to death. The fragile and delicate balance displayed brilliantly by this and other elements of this world never cease to amaze me and always confirms my faith in a benevolent God. When I learn about and witness even just a small hint of the brilliance in design of this planet, my faith is renewed. I can’t believe that any of this came together on accident. The brilliance of repetition is shown in the sun as well. They also explained that the sun derives it’s energy from nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is the process of 2 nuclei clashing together with great force which creates 1 nucleus. This process repeats again and again, which has allowed the sun to burn brightly for 4.5 billion years. What would happen to everything if the sun suddenly decided that it hated repetition and routine?
Who could have ever thought that a series of physical postures could teach such truth. Yet I continue to learn and expand with every practice. Yoga not only has changed my body in terms of flexibility and strength, but continues to change my mind and my spirit in these ways as well. This is proof that mind, body, and spirit are a triad and to influence one ultimately influences the entire being. They are not separate just as we are not separate. Ultimately humanity is made of the same parts (or poses) just in different sequences. We all are made up of the same emotions, the same physical components, possibly even the same spirit… disguised as different because of the sequence and amounts in which they appear. In moments where I have taken in the beauty of everyone in the room holding the same pose, I am reminded of our sameness but also the beauty in our uniqueness. The variation of the same pose throughout the room is striking… familiar and unique all at the same time. It is just as we are and I am honored to be part of the paradox of life magnified in a small yoga studio in Providence.