‘Engage your core’, sweat glistening on every body in the room, ‘with straight arms transition back and up, warrior 2.’ 20 minutes into yoga, frustration would enter, sweat building on all of our bodies, presence was the last thing on my mind.
Core engaged, back foot gently tilted at an angle, left foot straight ahead towards the front mirror, reaching through my upper arms and finger tips I gently began to pull upwards, leg muscles firing, core tucked in, gliding into warrior 2 from extended side angle, and it began.
Sweat was pooling in my hair and began to fall. Down my face, rolling on a slide that was our bodies, sweat began moving and my eyes began to sting.
‘Crap’, the initial reaction, ‘how can I focus’, I said to myself. Hair product / hair spray, gently coerced by gravity into my eyes, bead by bead of sweat.
Normally at this moment, I would grab a towel, move completely out of focus, wipe my face and be like there, ha no more.
Sticking Through Frustration
This time stayed. I stayed as long as it burned, I closed my eyes and I thought.
‘What is this really but a chance to completely focus on the present moment. The stinging takes away any lingering thoughts in my mind.The only moment is now.’
Eyes stinging I began to bend deeper into my left knee, drenched in the moment observing how the pull of my adductor from the pelvis was gently firing up a slow burn.
In that moment I lost all other concentration but the here and now. Yes, my eye were stinging, but it gave me a moment to be fully present. Isn’t that a part of the yoga path, presence, here and now ?
Next time I may wipe my face, next time I may huff a sigh of frustration or even get completely out of the pose, but I felt it. I felt the moment of complete surrender to the experience.The opening to clarity of that single space, and once one opens to a possibility the opportunity continues to arise.
Can you recall when something normally frustrating brought you immediately to the present moment ?