How’s late summer treating you? For me, it’s been a bit like the Red Queen’s race in Alice in Wonderland. The end of summer may as well be the Queen of Hearts informing me: “It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”
The Mad Dash
Over the last two weeks, the pace has picked up on just about everything. My taskings at work have increased, and the garden is putting out vegetables and herbs quicker than I can eat, share, and preserve them. The grass grows, and it takes me two hour-long mowing sessions to keep the place looking tidy. Military spouse life adds complexity to all of this, and on top of that, we’re completing major home projects in preparation for another cold winter. None of this is bad. It's just a lot. I’m getting up earlier and staying up later, and I still can’t seem to get on top of all of it.
Maybe you’re in the same boat, but it’s possible that this is a slow season for you. Whatever the case, I realized something we could all stand to do more often. While pushing my lawnmower up the steep slope in my backyard for the umpteenth time, I had a flash of insight. As I dug my heels into the ground and tolerated the sweltering heat, my body was working hard for me. Millions of actions, reactions, and transactions between cells fired off to give me the ability to make the difficult ascent.
Recognition
Despite the difficulty, I felt a wave of gratitude. Just a few short months ago, I had to have surgery, and I’ve been working to get back to where I was before things went haywire. The body endures, and it does so much without complaint. Have you ever observed how you don’t really notice things about your physical self until something breaks? If you deal with a chronic condition, you’re keenly aware of when things are going well and when they aren’t. Still, it can be easy to take for granted what’s working.
Today, I challenge you to notice your physical self. Did you move from one place to another? Did your body help you digest life-giving nutrients? Did it forgive you when you overstretched here or indulged too much there? Is it healing from an injury or an illness? Did it carry you? What did it do without you even noticing? I urge you to notice and give your body thanks. (If some not-so-nice thoughts came up about your body, this is important to notice, too. Where does that come from? Perhaps this is a mindset that requires some self-reflection.)
After doing your observation, take a second to name what’s working. Thanks, body, for helping me accomplish all the things I want to accomplish. Thanks for being the place where I live. Thanks for letting me know when you need food, hydration, rest, or more movement. I’m sorry if I put you through some things back there, but I’m going to do my best to care for you.
This recognition doesn’t have to take long. A few breaths of gratitude go a long way. I urge you to carry this with you into your yoga practice as well. For every pose and transition, thank your body for wherever it takes you.
Thanks always apply
Now maybe you’re doing this gratitude practice while you’re in class, and you feel like you’re falling short. Maybe you have an expectation of where you should be, and your body isn’t doing that thing. If we’re working on being here now, we can put that expectation off to the side. The arbiters of yoga will not smite you if your heels don’t touch the floor in Downward Facing Dog or your leg refuses to straighten in Crane pose. With heels high or a bent knee, you’ll still say, “Thank you.” This gratitude is unconditional.
I’ll keep it short and sweet today, but I hope you’ll give this challenge a try. Bonus challenge: After giving your body thanks, notice the effect this has on the rest of you. I wish you good health, happiness, and wellness as we move through this season.