Restoration (noun):
1.the act of restoring; renewal, revival, or reestablishment.
2. a return of something to a former, original, normal, or unimpaired condition.
3. restitution of something taken away or lost.
While Power Yoga is often thought of as athletic and dynamic in nature, there is also a softer and restorative aspect to the practice. Power Yoga attracts Type-A personalities to be sure, so the process of renewal and restoration is important. We are often pushing ourselves, on the mat and in our relationships, careers and hobbies. We don’t see how we could possibly find time to relax.
As my teacher Baron Baptiste said in 40 Days to Personal Revolution, “The time to relax is when you don’t have the time for it.” How many times have you turned down an invitation to do something that was important to you because you simply couldn’t find the time?
Sometimes, we just have to relax with what is (Law of Transformation #7). The tasks that we set ourselves to can often be daunting. We get wrapped up in all of the things that we must accomplish and find ourselves in an internal struggle. And struggling very easily becomes a way of life. Famous yogi B.K.S. Iyengar said, “Before we can find peace among nations, we have to find peace inside that small nation which is our own being.”
To restore ourselves, we must learn to find equanimity in the face of adversity. We must learn to respond instead of react, and as we learn to relax with what is, we find inner peace and calm. There is an old adage that cautions against swimming against the tide, and so must we do in our daily lives. If we fight the current, we tire before we can reach the shore, but if we go with the flow, we reach new and distant lands.
While we can acknowledge our busy schedules and our to-do lists, we have to remove the rocks (Law of Transformation #8) to be able to get past it all. Once we learn to relax with what is, and stop fighting all of the time, we can start to actually remove some of the obstacles in our path. What do you need most to let go of? Is there something you are holding on to (fear, anger, worries) that you can get rid of?
One way to start to remove the clutter in your mind is to start or deepen a meditation practice. Sitting in meditation brings you into the present moment and helps train your brain to develop a laser sharp focus on the present. Meditation helps us keep the lenses clear, so that wisdom and light can come through.
Just for now, without asking how, relax with what is and remove the rocks. The answer to “How?” is “Yes.” Put aside your focus on outcomes and instead focus on what you are doing in this present moment. Stop being a human doing and start being a human being. Restore yourself. Bring yourself back to an unimpaired condition. Allow for the restitution of equanimity and inner peace. Just for now. Now is all you have.
