So far this year the theme for my family has been transition, particularly the past week as we’ve been moving into our new house. While it’s a super exciting time, like most transitions it is messy, chaotic, and at times uncomfortable.
You may or may not currently be packing all of your belongings into cardboard boxes and relocating, but we are all in a constant state of transition. Some transitions are gradual and subtle, while others are defined and dramatic. Life is a series of transitions from one phase of life to the next, all strung together, and concluding with the grand finale out of this physical form to whatever comes after this.
In other words, the only thing constant is change. And yet, we resist change and try to hurry through transitions because we want to get back to (the illusion of) solid ground. But there are no stationary landing pads; movement is constant. Transitions are not an interruption to life, but rather they are the framework within which life happens.
Transitions (both on and off our yoga mats) demand a lot of us: strength, breath, and alignment. The next time you find yourself practicing on your mat, you might pay extra attention to, take time with, and breathe through the transitions of your asana practice. When you notice the impulse to rush through them (hello, chatturanga) because like real life transitions perhaps you realize that you don’t know exactly what you’re doing and then begin to feel awkward, self-conscious, and shaky… breathe and draw upon your bottomless well of courage to stay with yourself. Remember that the full expressions of the poses are not any more important, meaningful, valuable, or beautiful than the time, space, and movement that happens between them. In fact, that’s where the gold lies.
“Life is a good teacher and a good friend. Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it. Nothing ever sums itself up in the way we like to dream about. The off-center, in-between state is an ideal situation, a situation in which we don’t get caught and we can open our hearts and minds beyond limit. It’s a very tender, nonaggressive, open-ended state of affairs. To stay with that shakiness — to stay with a broken heart, with a rumbling stomach, with the feeling of hopelessness and wanting to get revenge — that is the path of true awakening. Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic — this is the spiritual path.” — Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart
Krystal Barschig 