Goodbye Ego, Hello Awareness

Awareness, a photo by springknitter on Flickr.

Goodbye ego, hello awareness

One of the perks of living downtown is that I am in walking distance to some fantastic communities. One of my new communities is at the natural food co-op just a block from my house. Every Tuesday they offer a free yoga class to co-op members. A and I decided it would be beneficial to really utilize these opportunities and become a part of the community.

Yoga brings out some anxiety for me. As an ex-gymnast I feel a responsibility to myself to be flexible. As someone that practices being peaceful and calm I expect myself to maintain this composure in class. And there's the need to do things properly and not be the one in the class who is constantly corrected.

I was therefore quite surprised to find that B, the yoga instructor began addressing my fears one by one as we progressed through the class. Maybe the fact that we share a name has given us some secret connection!

"yoga is about listening to your body and being in that moment." She says

"feel the ground holding your feet"

"everything that is happening; thoughts, feelings, pains are okay because it is what is happening. There is no pressure to be anything more than what you are at that very moment. "

"as long as you have awareness of your body, you are doing yoga correctly."

I realized that all of my previous anxieties were ego driven. I was stuck outside myself and not reaping the benefits of what yoga really means.

I need to perform.
I need to be perfect.
I need to be something I'm not.

If I am practicing awareness I need not worry about any of these things because I am exactly what I am. And that moment is just right.

What B taught me tonight was to set my ego aside. Choose awareness of self in that moment instead of what we want ourselves to be.

And this is certainly a skill that can be translated into other aspects of life. I'm going to start practicing awareness of my self and the people and things around me. I bet there is a lot more I'm about to see now that my eyes are a little wider.

I invite anyone to practice awareness with me. I think is a beautiful lesson to be shared with all!

BPositive and BAware!

Love,
B