Most of us are familiar with the Serenity Prayer, commonly associated with AA and other recovery programs:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
While I'm not religious, lately I’ve found its words encouraging me to new levels of acceptance, courage, and wisdom. These are particularly relevant to my current circumstances. Right now there are some areas of my life where I just don’t have control, no matter how much I want to. There are other areas where I need to face my fears and muster the courage to change the things possible for me -- primarily myself. And in all areas, I would welcome the serenity available if I find the wisdom to know the difference.
In this week’s yoga, we will focus on hip openers. Hips are sometimes referred to as the junk drawer of emotions and can harbor stress, fear, anxiety, and old emotional pain. Hip opening poses address not only physical tightness but also emotional stuck places.
Let’s take the opportunity to use the Serenity Prayer this week. May we tenderly accept our hips, and whole body for that matter, as they are. May we have the courage to face any discomfort we may feel and be lovingly present with it. And may we use these beautiful poses to grow our wisdom through new levels of self-awareness. May it even help us find a little more serenity as we let go of some holding we don’t need anymore.
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. – Lao Tzu
My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance and in inverse proportion to my expectations. – Michael J. Fox
Hope you can make it to Willow Street Yoga from 11 am until 12:30 pm on this and every Wednesday. You can sign up in advance at https://willowstreetyoga.com/ or at the door.
Kathy
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