Yesterday, when I opened up my signed copy of “Yoga Anatomy” by Leslie Kaminoff, his sentiments caught my attention, “Keep the space…….Leslie”. The words immediately jumped out at me and it couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time, a confirmation of sorts.
I often look back at two major choices I made in life as being two of the best decisions of my life.
- not getting married in 1997 and;
- moving to Thailand in 2002.
They changed my course considerably.
It’s not easy to end relationships or to uproot to a foreign country. There are always fears and attachments on many levels: emotional, physical, familial, cultural, etc. But I clearly remember that as hard as it was at the time, there was a deeper guidance navigating me through the process. That deeper guidance was my intuition. While it may come easy for some, it’s often difficult to tap into it without a considerable amount of silence, good listening skills, and space.
In yoga, we devote so much time to creating space. Certainly, stretching the body helps to create space in the joints and tissues. This is one, basic way of looking at it. More importantly is the space we try to create between thoughts, between perceptions and quick, knee-jerk reactions. The larger the space in these moments, the more apt we are at living gracefully, with our Best Self guiding us.
Let’s face it. Life has its ups and downs. I wish I could boast about how much space I’ve been able to create in every sticky moment, but truth be told, it ain’t easy! When fraught with trauma, the general tendency is to want to run. Our world starts to close in on us. We start to feel the suffocating effects of life’s shittiest moments.
Space allows things to be as they are from a deep place of acceptance. It gives us opportunities to consider more than just our own, small perspective. Space means getting out of our own way to really embrace the totality of life.
