Tiki Post: Tiki Says Take a Breath and Enjoy the Walk!
Posted Jun 22 2009 11:39am
It's Tiki here, sharing a little bit of wisdom that I gained on a walk to the park this week!
You see, I love going to the park, and this past week, my mommy took me on a nice walk to my favorite park near our house. For the entire walk, I was so excited that I was practically bouncing down the sidewalk. All I could think about was how much fun I was about to have at the park and what a great time I would have running and exploring. By the time I actually arrived at the park, I realized that I hadn't taken the time to enjoy the lovely walk we had just been on. I had been too focused on the goal, and missed all the beautiful details along the way.
From all the yoga classes I've watched over the years, I've noticed that it's very similar with your yoga practice. I can see that you get so intent on accomplishing a certain pose - whether it's the crow, headstand, or the splits - that you forget to take a breath or two and enjoy where you are right now. Just like my walk was physically moving me closer to the park, you know that each time you practice the headstand, you're moving a little bit closer to actually performing that pose. But somehow we tend to become impatient and want that headstand or that park right this instant. Just as the walk to the park was part of the fun of the whole trip for me, so practicing that headstand can be part of the fun of actually performing a headstand.
When we think about our practice from this perspective, we learn to enjoy the process and give ourselves a break for not being at the park, or being in a headstand, fast enough. We also begin to realize that we are all different and unique, and each of our yoga practices will be unique, and this takes the pressure off of having to hurry up and accomplish certain poses. For me, I suddenly realized that some dogs are bigger and have longer legs and will arrive at the park faster than I will on my short little legs, and this is no reason for the short-legged dog to become discouraged - it's part of the beauty that is me!
Now think about how this carries over into our every day lives: if we're constantly wishing we were at the park, rather than enjoying the lovely walk, we're going to be wishing away a large part of our lives. This is not how we live our lives to the fullest, in a way where we truly enjoy each and every day. Part of enjoying our lives is enjoying where we are at this moment, right now. Whatever your destination, you know that you are on your way there, and this realization allows us to just relax and enjoy the walk. Please be sure to pass this along to your friends and family so that they can also be reminded to take time to enjoy their walk to the park, too!
You see, I love going to the park, and this past week, my mommy took me on a nice walk to my favorite park near our house. For the entire walk, I was so excited that I was practically bouncing down the sidewalk. All I could think about was how much fun I was about to have at the park and what a great time I would have running and exploring. By the time I actually arrived at the park, I realized that I hadn't taken the time to enjoy the lovely walk we had just been on. I had been too focused on the goal, and missed all the beautiful details along the way.
From all the yoga classes I've watched over the years, I've noticed that it's very similar with your yoga practice. I can see that you get so intent on accomplishing a certain pose - whether it's the crow, headstand, or the splits - that you forget to take a breath or two and enjoy where you are right now. Just like my walk was physically moving me closer to the park, you know that each time you practice the headstand, you're moving a little bit closer to actually performing that pose. But somehow we tend to become impatient and want that headstand or that park right this instant. Just as the walk to the park was part of the fun of the whole trip for me, so practicing that headstand can be part of the fun of actually performing a headstand.
When we think about our practice from this perspective, we learn to enjoy the process and give ourselves a break for not being at the park, or being in a headstand, fast enough. We also begin to realize that we are all different and unique, and each of our yoga practices will be unique, and this takes the pressure off of having to hurry up and accomplish certain poses. For me, I suddenly realized that some dogs are bigger and have longer legs and will arrive at the park faster than I will on my short little legs, and this is no reason for the short-legged dog to become discouraged - it's part of the beauty that is me!
Now think about how this carries over into our every day lives: if we're constantly wishing we were at the park, rather than enjoying the lovely walk, we're going to be wishing away a large part of our lives. This is not how we live our lives to the fullest, in a way where we truly enjoy each and every day. Part of enjoying our lives is enjoying where we are at this moment, right now. Whatever your destination, you know that you are on your way there, and this realization allows us to just relax and enjoy the walk. Please be sure to pass this along to your friends and family so that they can also be reminded to take time to enjoy their walk to the park, too!
Namaste,
Tiki