I’m sitting here with a knee wrapped in ice and a bad attitude.
I wrote a post about listening to pain.
It was reasonable and chocked full of common sense. Clearly, I need to practice what I’m so good at preaching. Earlier in the week I felt a twinge in my right knee. Because I’m a genius, I ignored it.
Why you wonder?
Right after the new year I promised to practice yoga every day. I told myself it was a way to get in touch with a deeper sense of spirituality. I call bullshit on myself. It sounded cool.
So when my knee acted up- I didn’t listen or follow the first tenet of yoga which is to practice non-violence. Being kind to others is challenging if you can’t be kind to yourself. I also failed to remember that yoga is more than my asana practice. Yoga is how I connect with the world.
Yoga is how I live, or at least the way that I said I was living.
This trick knee (I love that expression. ‘Watch me pull a rabbit out of my knee!) has me thinking.
I need to dedicate more time to loving myself and leaving that ego alone. I read once that ego stands for ‘edging god out’. If god = your value system/god/oneness with the universe, this is pretty mind-blowing. The further we get away from our true selves the more likely we are to inflict pain or commit acts of violence against ourselves or others.
‘Commit acts of violence’ sounds pretty serious. At first glance it may even seem like an over reaction to the situation. Any unnecessary upset to life’s balance may have staggering ripple effects.
The definition of violence:
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Interestingly enough, I might not have had the conversation with myself if I hadn’t hurt my knee. We learn lessons when we most need them.
I need to surrender.
I love the universe. I love karma. Make no mistake, you get back what you put out.
I need to go change my ice pack. And send my knee some love.
This is yoga. And it loves me.
Namaste y’all.
