Navigating the flow of life calls us to consider the possibility of fluidity…
Fluidity implies an unencumbered state that finds its way gracefully. Flowing with gentleness that is present and aware, fluidity allows us to recognise the path of least resistance! Think energy with no attachment to its direction or persistence with the grace of acceptance.
In order for us to navigate the flow of life we need to be open to expect the unexpected and connect to that which grounds us when the ground beneath us feels fluid and ever shifting.
Questions you could ask yourself as you navigate life: Do you turn to the golden thread of your breath – nourished and strengthened by your practice? Do you lean in and notice where you can cultivate ease amidst the effort?
Here are some tips to embody fluidity in your yoga practice:
1. Focus on synchronising breath and movement. This synchronisation creates a rhythm for your body rather than a stop and start feeling. Even in static holds, the ebb and flow of a steady breath keeps the rhythm and movement alive cultivating a feeling of being grounded.
2. Use ujjayi breath, an oceanic breath that has a sound reminiscent of crashing waves. This imagery can help you tap into the fluid quality of water and imagine your body in a more liquid state. The audible quality of ujjayi also serves as a reminder of the internal rhythm you have created. For ujjayi, breathe in and out through your nose with a constriction in the back of your throat, creating a “HA” sound through sealed lips.
3. Move quietly. Make every movement purposeful, placing each foot and hand carefully to articulate the bones of your entire body. This will develop more control and ultimately be kinder on your body, feel your roots: feet, legs, and pelvis – get steady.
4. Create space, feel your branches, and use these journal prompts: buoyant heart, radiant spine, sensitive limbs. What are you reaching for? What is your deepest longing? Why do you keep showing up? Go deeper in. What do you want from this practice? What does their practice want from you? What are your deepest longings? What do you want to feel, embody, move through you?
5. Be open to the possibilities ahead, feel your unexpected blooms: What unexpectedly ripens, opens, and offers grace, invites delight for body, mind, and spirit? The more we can cultivate a mindset to feel not force, to enjoy the journey, not just the destination, to stop and smell the flowers, to delight in simple moments of embodiment and integration as well as the high voltage of peak postures, the more we can create sensitivity and open to delight that is always blooming all around us.
