A typically Western approach to life encourages us to make things happen, while many different Eastern approaches hold that things happen when you're ready for them. More specifically, the Tibetan Buddhism philosophy echos the adage that "when the student is ready, the master will appear." In a nut shell, only when you're ready do life's most important lessons decide to reveal themselves.
Enter (cue Superhero music..."Dun-dah-dah-dahhhh") Roger Rippy. I'm guessing I was ready for something...because his class shook me...fo' reals (His words, not mine).
To my delight, from my very first down-dog, I felt a jolt of playful, powerful prana bubbling up from beneath my mat. This abundance of energy carried me like a buoy - both anchored and drifting naturally in the midst of a turbulent tide. I'll be honest that I've been over emphasizing that yang-style persistence to "make things happen" in my life lately. At the same time, though, I fully acknowledge that my life's pace is completely unsustainable.
My practice tonight mirrored my ideal balance between play and purpose; ease and effort. And, upon finding that delicate balance, my energy grew and grew and grew. I also discovered a welcomed sensation of ease as my previous night's Yin Yoga practice began permeate my down-dog, and my warriors, and my pigeon, and...well, you get the picture.
This abundant, blissful experience notwithstanding, I could also sense a haze of resistance throughout the room. Amazingly, I felt immune to the room's interesting and heavy energetic climate. It was almost as though I was flowing through an energetic traffic jam with Matrix-like ease. Now, this is certainly not the norm for me. In fact, just like anyone who has ever rolled out their mat after a particularly stressful day, I've certainly drudged up my own pernicious and destructive forms of mental road rage. But, when ease and abundant energy decide to take control, I've learned to hang on, remain quiet and enjoy the ride.
It was subtle enough that some may have missed it, but I was finally ready to hear it. The master decided to show up. Roger said, "Know that there's a spoon full of savasana in every pose." I'm not sure whether I interpreted it too literally, but that statement registered deeply with me. Through this statement, I realized that I had to bring some "Yin" to my "Yang" in life. I had to intentionally add a spoonful of savasana, especially if I wanted to lead a creative, sustainable and healthy way of being for my friends, family and students.
Through my own interpretation, a "spoon full of savasana" means that we must invite ease into our fast-paced lives. Yet, perhaps more importantly, we must allow a part of our old selves to die away with each new challenging experience if we intend to clear space for the person we're capable of becoming.
Thank you, Roger...fo' reals!
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