From the Mat: Slipping and Sliding

The stick figure is one of my yoga people. When I "write" a  yoga sequence, I use little figures like this one to map out the direction of the class. No Sanskrit words or translations, no cues...just silly drawings who usually have an incorrect number of fingers and never any toes. 

The drawings are enough of a reminder that I know how to cue from pose to pose. I don't always even look at the stick figures but when I do this one always makes me smile. 

While this is a representation of a wonderfully peaceful pose, she looks as if she's slid on a slippery patch and landed on her behind. Totally giggle-worthy and definitely representational of a lot of moments in our lives, right? 

So often, like mine. 

We slip and slide through life sometimes and, you know what? That's okay. No big deal. 

I think the important thing is to know when to laugh after it happens, especially if it's an epic, whopper of a slide. 

I had one this morning and it totally cracked me up. I laid in the snow staring at the sky and laughing so hard that tears slid down the sides of my face and were lost in my beanie. It was a hoot. When I pushed up onto my feet, my sides hurt from giggling. 

I bet you're wondering what that has to do with yoga, aren't you? Well, I keep saying that yoga is more than the postures many are familiar with. It's a mindset, a lifestyle, a perspective and part of that includes recognizing our fallibility as human beings and embracing our missteps and foibles. Moreover, that perspective gifts us with the ability to see that there is no need to be entertain or be attached to the notion that sliding isn't positive. 

Embrace the slide. Laugh whenever you can. And if you're on your back in the snow, take a moment to savor the peace.