What
does being a beginner mean? My Yoga practice and Martial Arts training
has taught me that I am going to be a beginner for a pretty long time.
There are days when you feel like you know what you're doing and you
feel yourself progressing. And there are days where you realize -you
know...not so much. Coming into something as a beginner gives you
permission to be open minded, not to set limits and to
not have to "win" at something. On the other side of this, as an expert
you can feel like you already know what to expect. You've set limits
for yourself. There are less things for you
to question, less things for you to discover.
I
can remember a time in my Yoga practice when I hated pigeon pose. My
leg would go numb and I would drum my fingers along the edge of my mat
until it was over! It was only 8 breathes. I remember how excrutiating
the 8 breathes felt because it was so uncomfortable and also bc my mind
just couldn't relax. Now pigeon is one of my favorite poses. Somewhere
along the lines of my practice I "forgot" that I hated pigeon and I just
started doing it anyways. In
life we create samskaras -our patterns, impressions,
routines...they can even be addictions or compulsions. Sometimes we;re
even on auto pilot and we don't realize we're doing these things. Ever
not think about where you're going and just automatically go there? Or
when you wake up in the morning and just turn the water on to brush your
teeth? Sometimes our samskaras keep us from moving forward. Like when
we keep dating the same kind of person and it seems bad for us. Being
always 10 minutes late, hating pigeon pose.
Having a beginners
mind is similar to our Yogic concept of being present. Are you really in
the moment or are you thinking about the phone call you made before
class? Or the dinner you will be having after class? Sometimes the class
can be boring for you or you're just not in it. I've been there. Often
times I use that boredom to do a breathing exercise or visualization in
order to be in my own moment -If I cannot be present in a class I can at
least be present for myself. The best
benefit is to be in your own moment. Be with your breath and be with
your movements. Sometimes they arent pleasant but if you go with your
beginners mind you should expect that in life. Though moments are not
always comfortable you will learn something from that moment. There is a
process to everything. Things don't happen at the snap of your fingers.
You won't be flexible from just one class. Expectations are sometimes
what hold us back, or even cause us to feel disappointed.
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| I've had this scar since I was 5 years old! |
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