It has slowed me down tremendously and it has me thinking a lot about pain and questioning why I would incur such an injury in a place where physical health is so necessary. For example, there are over 120 hand-lain, stone stairs to climb to get to my cabana, over 30 of the same steps to get to the Yoga Shala, and anywhere I want to go outside of The Yoga Forest is a 20 minute hike in both directions.
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| The stairs leading to the Shala. Beautiful and an intimidating climb with an injured knee. |
Instead of becoming frustrated with myself, my injury, and the slow pace of climbing these stairs in every direction, I took my shoes off and grounded. I have begun walking mindfully and slowly, releasing my stream of thoughts and rough emotions and noticing the richness and textures of every sight and sound around me. Feeling every bump under my foot, every sensation on my skin, receiving every layer of the moment as if it shall never live again in this same way. This is no easy task as it's automated within me to rush, to move from one place to another. I am constantly pulling myself back from mindlessness into mindfulness, trying to remind myself to enjoy each journey, even if it's just a trip to the compost toilet.
You might have seen an interview with Jaden and Willow Smith rolling around social media lately. The original interview was done with Time Magazine under the headline "The Smiths". A lot of the comments surrounding the interview have called it bizarre and wierd, although I personally think it's brilliant. I read an excerpt of it and there's a comment that sticks out in my mind about the experience of time:
"JADEN: 'It's proven that how time moves for you depends on where you are in the universe. It's relative to beings and other places. But on the level of being here on earth, if you are aware in a moment, one second can last a year. And if you are unaware, your whole childhood, your whole life can pass by in six seconds...'"
(For the full web interview with Willow and Jaden Smith click here)
With two weeks left in Guatemala before returning back to Texas in the full swing of the Christmas season, I am most interested in living moments like hours; having each moment last long enough that these two weeks feel like years. I feel like Dustin and I are like toy cars: pulled back and loaded, wheels spinning, just waiting to hit the ground and then BAM! we're gone. Rent, a house, paychecks, bills, babies, savings, vacations, suddenly... 60 years old, half a lifetime in six seconds.
So the real question is the same question I've had since I arrived in Guatemala: how do I bring this expansiveness, this mindfulness and immense spirit back to a place ripe with action and distraction? The land in Guatemala, the land under my feet is surging with energy: from the volcanoes teeming with lava around the lake, to the spiritual energy of the Mayans and Aztecs still occupying la tierra. I walk in nature, through nature and with nature every single day: abundance thrives in simplicity. With these thoughts I find myself intimidated to return to a place of noise and action, of material gains and desires, of to-do lists and errands to run.
I will say, I am open to surprising myself. I am open to the challenge and I realize that I will be surrounded by as much spirit as I allow into my life. Sadhana, sadhana, sadhana. The practice of yoga is the application of the tools into the hustle of daily life. Prayers, gratitude, breathing, meditation, mindfulness, presence.
And on this day of giving thanks, I thank God for slowing me down, for taking me out of asana and into pranayama and meditation. Thank you for bringing me to Central America so I may feel the energy of the land and finally feel what it means to be grounded. And with your grace, please help me take this expansion and spirit with me. And please God, send me butterflies always, the pure manifestation of spiritual love and presence.
What keeps you spiritually grounded?
Many Blessings.
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