Saturday, March 13, 2010

Open

Have you ever noticed what we do when we want to feel safe? We physically close everything up. We either make fists or slump our shoulders over. Sometimes we may even curl up into a fetal position. Child's pose in yoga is a very closed position - tucked in and looking at the floor. Does it really make us safer though? Perhaps in an earthquake or some other external physical threat where you would need to protect your vital organs. But what about the things we are afraid of on a daily basis. Are we really protecting ourselves? I think most of us walk around trying to be prepared for a fall. We hunch our shoulders and brace ourselves just in case our hearts might get broken - "your not good enough for the job"......."your child has been hanging around with the wrong crowd"...... "I don't love you anymore"....."you have cancer". We protect ourselves with not only a closed body but sometimes a closed mind. Never wanting it to be exposed - vulnerable.

Why am I saying this? I was looking at some beautiful roses 2 dear friends gave to me. When they brought them over they were closed - but still beautiful. After a few days they really opened up and that is when their true beauty shined. I challenge you to do what I did. Go outside. Stand with you feet steady and shoulder width apart. Open your arms wide with your palms facing up. Lift your eyes to the sky. Take a deep breath in and lift your heart. Feel how open you can be. Free your mind of the "no's" and "I can'ts". The "wont's" and "I shouldn'ts".

When we prepare ourselves for a fall - we don't have room to fly. When we are closed up all we can see is ourselves - we can't see the extraordinary all around us.


4 comments:

joy said...

kristin, that is so beautiful--"when we prepare ourselves to fall we don't have room to fly." so true and so beautifully, eloquently said. you have inspired me today. thank you!

Sally said...

That is so true. I realized other day how I "protect" myself like that all winter long. With the cold and wind and potential ice-slipping, I hunch over and clench for months. Then, the first warm day, I walk outside and instantly feel 6 inches taller. I breathe deeper and think, "What was I doing, walking around like that all winter?" It's like hibernating through life. No good. I love you!!!

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

I think that saying (when we prepare ourselves to fall we don't have room to fly) MUST be turned into a magnet so I can be reminded of it through out the day. It will go next to the one that says, "Let go or be dragged"

Thank you Kristin!