Years ago my nephew was painting a picture of rainbow and he started to use the color brown. His brother came over screaming "you can't use brown!" and my sister quickly replied "its ok...he can have brown in his rainbow". I immediately thought what a great metaphor! That could be a title for a kids book or an adult self-help book - or both!
Let's face it...sometimes there is brown in our rainbow. Now more than ever it certainly feels like it. I've gotten so used to dark and depressing news and each time I wonder if this is finally the one that helps many finally wake up and see we need change.
This summer I was teaching a guided meditation and found myself using the word "ok". The suggestion was allowing ourselves to feel someplace that is ok as well as where it doesn't feel ok. Since then many have told me that they really liked the word ok and it
really allowed them to feel just as they are; especially ok, not great, happy or well, but just ok. That was .... well ok.
Fact is we don't always feel good and well, so it is powerful to see the present just as it is but it becomes quite healing when we can share the experience within a community that isn't judging us for our experience. Sure we could share it with a friend but when you share the experience with a group and they respond in a way that allows you to feel safe with your experience the healing process starts. We start to see It is ok to have brown in our rainbow. It doesn't take away from the rainbow or other colors. We can stop denying the existence.
As many of you know the kind of yoga I prefer to teach is one that allows us times as a community to experience feeling together and sometimes this means things that were unseen and we can witness our reactions. I like to observe this way with all yoga including vinyasa or slow flow (Monday & Tuesday 6pm).
Imagine moving through a sun salutation B sequence and doing so slow enough to take a deeper breath and notice each ache and judgement. "Oh man I'm tight" or "I am so out of shape" or "All I hear are pops". But then as we notice this more we can expand it to other ways to view it. "At least I am here" or "I didn't think I could do that but I did" or "That is a snap crackle and pop - I'm as good as a rice krispie treat!" We may even take a big step and share our thoughts with the group and allow ourselves permission to be who we are; doesn't need to be fixed or solved. We start to see the community support and our mental attitude shifts.
Look the world may judge us and tell us we can't have brown in our rainbow and there isn't any stopping this. But when we can let go of what we are told and stop pretending for others; we can learn to trust our inner wisdom. Furthermore we start to see that our thoughts don't define who we are and we can start to enjoy experiences with loving presence.
I hope you will join me online for yoga and meditation and see all that you are - all sorts of colors!
"Have a good day for no reason!"
---Paige