Headstands in Yoga

Yoga. As a believer in Jesus, I have struggled with cultivating a Yoga practice. My grandmother a very very conservative believer constantly criticizes my practice. She rants often that its "eastern" and far away from God. I always just shake my head and try to change the subject. Silently I worry, however, that she's right, that my love for Yoga and Eastern practices offends God.

I was practicing my head stand last night. It is not an easy pose. My balance is terrible and strength often very faulty.  Before I went into my pose I tried to fill my mind with just a picture of me in this pose. Nothing else. As I attempted the pose and failed multiple times I began filling my mind with things I felt God would be saying to me. You can do this! You got this! Try again.!  Then I thought God loves me. I felt so peaceful. For about 30 seconds my mind was full of just the name of God. GOD. JESUS. MY SAVIOR. This is rare, I have a very busy mind, and can be very easily distracted. After the peace I felt slowly left my mind I attempted one last time my pose.  Success. For the first time ever, I was in a Yoga headstand. No wall to support me. Just my balance, my strength. My first 5 seconds in this position were basically ones of complete shock. The next 15 of me worrying about losing my balance and falling.  Then again, peace, when I said, "GOD LOOK". I held my pose for the next 30 seconds and then tumbled.

This tumble is when it occurred to me. My practice of Yoga for me is my link to God, but also how God gives me lessons. I have failed multiple times over the last few years. Attempt after attempt to succeed at making Godly decisions followed by failure after failure.  Like a head stand, life is trial and error.
I used to strive to be perfect. To be the person who never did "anything wrong". I know that in the eyes of people I appeared pretty damn perfect for a while. Perfection is much to difficult to maintain. People's opinions and views like the ever changing wind. Its about striving to do what is right. I can not judge myself based on the views of others, but based on my own attempts at living, at listening to my Jesus.

I have felt so broken lately. But , I feel as though he says to me "get up" "try again".  Like any good yoga practice, making good choices, is practice.  Practice, hard work, effort, and knowing that when you fail and fall, you are forgiven and can get up and try again.

Another somber poem by yours truly

 I have been traveling down a darkened way 

Searching for you is not easy today
Rain seems to fall like rocks from the sky
And the brimstone is in heavy supply
The sun has called me out to play
Not much to my dismay
I have driven off course
Pulled by the power of your force
The golden sound of prayer
Brought me out of my secret lair
No one thought is clear
The heat just isn’t hot enough to sear
The golden glow of today
Won’t distract me from my way
Tomorrow I will fall back on track
Into the diversion of the radiant black

Personal Stagnation

Life can be crazy. Nothing truly new for me, but it feels as thought the last two years have been trial after trial. Difficult change transitioning into an even more difficult change.  I really loathe self pity parties. I try to minimize my own struggles by comparing to what others have gone through. I try to motivate myself out of the lulls of sadness by stating... at least I am not a woman from before 1950, or at least I live in America, other people suffer more than I do, other people have it worse. But really what this does is minimize my own struggles. When I do this I am failing to acknowledge the things that I have overcome. When I minimize my suffering I also minimize my own strengths I have developed. 

Often the thing I struggle the most often with is the ultimate feeling of loneliness.  Its really silly in my eyes to let it get to me the way it does, but I feel it, and I cringe and want to run.  This feeling stems from a desire to have love.  It is truly where my life has been stagnant.  I long to "aquire" love. I long for it the way I imagine the desert longs for water, like its a necessity.  I feel as though once it becomes mine, it will "fix' all my other difficulities.  Love is afterall the magical cure all, right?  If when I do find it, I tell myself, I am sure to find financial stablility, friendship, passion, and a helper.  Finding this cure to all that ails me, however, remains illusive. To find lasting companionship is one of the most unattainable an unreachable goals I have ever had.

I wonder why it is that I want "it" so badly. Why am I so discontent to feel alone. It is something I have felt for years. The counselor in me... tries to rationalize my feelings. Saying of course you feel this way look at event XYZ. But even before XYZ I felt it. I remember feeling the longing at a very young age. I know that part of my feelings are normal, as part of the 'human condition'. To long for something more than ourselves, is somewhat the essence of what makes us all tick.  My longing, my desire, is also where I fill up my life in places to avoid.. living. Its so hard. I would rather go for a drive, sleep, read, or watch a movie. All just so I do not have to sit with loneliness.

Why is lonely so unacceptable to me. Why is longing so utterly painful. Its a question I believe can have a hundred reasons but truly the only answer is.. it must be accepted. Nothing lasts. Nothing. All that is ever guaranteed is death. This guarantee has me striving to accept, to be content. I do not know when the end is coming for me. But it is. I do not want to waste whats left of living on being discontent with what I have been given. I have been gifted loneliness. The longing for a mate. Its time I accept my position. Its time to sit with loneliness and be ok with in it.  I just need to figure out how and I need to start now.

I wrote this poem not too long ago, seems fitting:

I see you now


In a sea of faces who feel unknown
  Hidden from humanity,
       I cry alone
Desperate to collide with another being,
Notice the waters rise,
      Theres no use fleeing
Drowning slowly now,
           contentment seems to fit
Unforeseen you appear having nothing to omit

Caught off guard by desire,
    I fail to stay afloat
No intention or any promised note

Seemingly you are all I desire
 So fond of the idea,
       its all I longed to acquire
Loosing interest, you slowly start to float away
Damaged, I see you now,
             stay
The pain I recognize in you makes me alert
    Struggling,
        now I begin to hurt
Floating to surface now, gasping
I watch you go,
    my longing fading, collapsing
Alone again in this sea of faces
Waiting for  one to fill these spaces