The Daily Devotion: You Are A Guest...In This Body

Another yoga-filled day that started with teaching, was broken up by truly engaging and energizing conversation with great friends, and capped off with a blissful Yin Yoga class from Lee Zacharias at Big Yoga.

First, before I go any further, if you haven't been to one of Lee's classes...you absolutely MUST!

If the long, deep asanas weren't enough to stir up emotional "gunk" (as she dubbed it), Lee's grounding spirit and words are sure to lull your heart into quiet submission. Helllloooo yoga buzz!

Something she said fell so heavy I immediately had to sign out in agreement. She said, "Like a guest...you can wait for your body to invite you deeper into the pose." What a brilliant realization: You are a mere guest in your body.

Even before alternating to the next stretch, my mind bounded to a recent and powerfully intimate experience. A friend I know as a fellow practitioner and student at Big Yoga contacted me recently with a humble and heart-wrenching request. Sadly, her mother had passed away, and she asked me to play guitar and sing at the memorial service.

I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude and a strong feeling that I wanted to offer my love of music as a true service. This service took on special meaning when I learned that my friend had often told her mother about how I played guitar after my yoga classes.

So, what's the connection between Lee's words and this experience? Well, the connection lies in words of the minister at the memorial service. She explained that we have our physical, carnal form for a very short period. And, after we shed our physical form, invariably, we must leave for another adventure. Yet, while we have our body, it's our duty to respect it much like gracious house guest treats a hospitable host.

Think about the way we generally treat our bodies. At times, we feed it trash, douse it with poison, and push it well out of its normal biological balance. In essence, it's akin to barging into an immaculately clean mansion and pushing around the owner.

I propose a New Years resolution many may not have considered. Resolve to treat your body kindly; feed it clean food; and, serve it well. Perhaps through respecting and serving our bodies, we can then respect and serve other in kind.

Namaste.