Yoga Teacher Training day 9: The Pearl Is Inside

When I find myself in any state of non-acceptance, this is when I start to exert myself more intensely. I start to self-will it. Why I do this is curious because historical evidence weighs in against a positive outcome. Rather, the outcome is not what I thought 
I wanted to happen and usually it is for the better. I marinate in the pain of non-acceptance for awhile until the reality crystallizes and I am faced with a choice.

So let's peer into the essence of that moment when we are getting ready to bulldog it. In particular, a yoga pose is a prime example of a situation where we can exert ourselves in order to "win". Win the pose? We all know that is a somewhat silly statement when speaking of yoga. Yet, I myself have descended into the depths of self-competition only to come up empty-handed, like a pearl diver who keeps plunging into the North Branch of the Chicago River expecting to haul up a luminescent treasure that simply does not exist.

I am sure the ego is one of the culprits. Ego and perhaps fear.  Does one cause the other? I am not really sure but I know they can nicely coexist and when they do things get a little murky, just like the North Branch of the Chicago River.

But when I relax and take it easy, and focus on the breath I start to feel peace...maybe even joy. Things start to turn green again. I can be grateful for exaclty where I am able to take my physical body into the pose.
No judgment or wishing for what is not there. I can find joy in that moment and gratitude for where I am
and not for where I wish to be. And that is where the pearl waits: right within ourselves.


Namaste, Friends