A High-Vibration Morning

As I anticipate the day's (and next several weeks', for that matter) work that needs to be done, I decided to begin today in all the best ways. I was very inspired a while back when, during a great yoga class, my instructor came over and began laying out various stones and crystals along the edges of my mat. He moved them throughout the class, and I cannot describe how much this uplifted me and enhanced my practice. I could feel the healing energy throughout my body. This morning, I began the day with pranayama and yoga - invigorated with protective amethyst, energizing citrine, and grounding vanadinite. I find that when using stones, I instantly feel lighter and more effortlessly mobile - but no less grounded. I move with greater fluidity and I feel significantly more aligned in my poses. After finishing a great series of poses, I proceeded to make the greatest, greenest morning smoothie: kale, spinach, banana, almond milk, mango, green superfood energy lemon-lime powder, and hemp seeds. Absolutely amazing. Feeling super balanced, I'm ready to face the day.

Be Moved

The answer is that there is no hard answer. Hard lines imply a halting of movement, and lack of change necessitates cessation of growth and evolution. Consciousness expands infinitely as we navigate the web of thought and dialogue that constitutes our mental space. This space does not end. We do not learn - we are learning. We do not grow - we are growing. We are not fixed - we are healing. Fixing means we're locked in place, but trust in flexibility allows us to surrender to the greater forces of nature. I feel that there exists a threshold at which we can no longer accumulate knowledge of our existence; rather, we reach the point where we must experience what we've been learning. We know how to change the mental patterns, but it's easier to hold this knowledge than to put it into practice. Or, we know what we need to do to fully inhabit, heal, experience, and connect with our bodies, but only dire necessity motivates the action. There comes a point when "I should" becomes "I do" - and not out of guilt or obligation, but out of love and compassion. While some actions are physically tangible, many if not most are intangibilities that reside in the mind - they require harnessing and consistent engagement. This constant engagement is what allows for the harmonizing of the chaotic flow of mental energy. We may think of the chaotic mind as capable of equilibrium and symmetry, yet not forced into organization by compartmentalization. This equilibrium is established as a consequence of balanced energetic connection - the mind can create harmony from chaos as we bridge the gaps. In meditation, when we "observe the space between our thoughts", we are filling in these gaps with peaceful, balanced, revitalized mental energy. We fill in the gaps by not filling them, by allowing them to be as they are and move as they will. We allow things to align naturally, and we follow this intuitive lead. We keep on moving.

Rest

We learn the lessons we need when we need them most. I thought my days of injury were over. I've felt as though I've remedied the pattern of getting hurt - it's a thing of the past, an idiosyncrasy of my childhood. No more ace bandages, no more casts; instead, an abundance of activity, happiness, movement in yoga, and freedom. But I know I move too fast, often too fast for my body to keep up and it's funny to me to think that I've thought myself invincible to injury. Certainly I can heal myself, yet the initial strike of pain hasn't lost the potential to assert itself. I've been moving too fast, my feet not steady enough on the ground, my balance just a little off. Now, with a fractured hand, I've been given the opportunity to slow down. Just a few minutes ago as I was doing dishes using one hand - my left hand at that - I found myself thinking how I've been forced to move with a greater degree of thought and consideration. Everything takes me twice as long and performing tasks with my non-dominant hand has obligated me to do so mindfully. Autopilot has been deactivated, and now I have to think. There is nothing like pain to get you right back in your body, as it serves as a reminder to pay attention, to listen, and, most importantly, to be kind and gentle with yourself. We must occupy our bodies fully to experience what they are trying to communicate with us, and this communication often comes in the form of pain. I'm learning what it means to rest.

Catching

Things That Have Been Handed to Me in the French Quarter

∞

What if, for an entire day, we did everything without regard for time? How long would that day last?

Unity

I am ever more in awe at the way we as humans fit together. We are mere manifestations of elemental components which have been combined to create a harmonious process of being. I was first exposed to this idea upon an introduction to Thai Yoga Therapy practices, and felt a sense of inner illumination when shown how the arches of one's feet create a perfect seat for another's sit bones. I have always been eager to embrace mental connection, and I now see how physical connection completes the bond. Now I am experiencing this in acroyoga, too. It's possible to dissipate the energetic walls that so often find themselves creating gaps in our connections with others. We all do it or have done it at some point. There is sometimes a disparity between what we think, feel, and say, and this inconsistency limits the extent to which we can interact with humanity. I've learned only somewhat recently that reaching out tends to help me more in times of distress than does retreating. And maybe this is because reaching out allows one to interact with the greater being of humanity. Through speech, we can extend thoughts and fears to the greater web, and suddenly not everything we think is so daunting. There is comfort in the relinquishing of thoughts. Even speech, though, can become a barrier. Speech is the mind element - it's the way we navigate and communicate energy, but it does not necessarily engage the physical being. In order to create balanced connection, we must engage the mind, body, and soul proportionately. Why is it that when we are feeling down, sometimes we say to a friend, "I just need a hug"? Perhaps it is because we are longing for the physical connection, and have likely been too caught up in the mental realm. The imbalance creates a physical need, a basic comfort we know can be satisfied with a simple embrace. Physical interaction dives right in, eliminates linguistic articulation, and gets right to the core of human interaction. The notion of personal space does not quite apply, and instead we open ourselves up with trust and acceptance and allow for shared space. By assembling parts of our bodies together such that they operate as one, we create a shared experience of energy and movement. Mind and body are so intricately connected that a lesson learned in the physical realm is translated with ease to the mental realm. Using the physical body to learn lessons of the mind is putting to use the vehicle of life we have been granted, and in doing so, we become strengthened mind-body beings. Our bodies are organic, and our vast interconnectedness is apparent in our basic skeletal organization. We are meant to intertwine, we are made for connection.