Intention #2

"Let go or be dragged." ~ Zen proverb

I will practice awareness of my mind and my body. I will not judge nor ignore what I find. I will do my best to accept the tensions I find and to let them go when I am ready.

Letting Go

Open Your Hips & Face Your Demons ~ Monica Jones

Yoga instructor Monica Jones wrote "It is on our mats where we can face our demons" in her article Open Your Hips and Face Your Demons posted on the elephant journal website (http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/08/open-your-hips-face-your-demons-monica-jones/). She enforces this idea that "we store our tensions, emotions, judgments, and thoughts in our bodies," and that the practice of yoga releases these tensions. Her words struck me deeply. As she relates the story of her grandmother's passing and how yoga allowed her to finally let go, I began thinking about my own thoughts, judgments, losses, and griefs. I was astonished to find that if I was truly and fully aware of my body, I could feel these tensions in almost every part of my body. Most pain was centered in my back, shoulders, and neck, but I somehow felt tension contracting in my face, my lungs, and even my toes. Yoga preaches a sound mind and body, and from this awareness I found that these entities are difficult to mediate. Although mind and body to me are distinct beings, one being housed by the other, this disconnect is not so complete. Somehow, my emotional pain subconsciously settles into the concrete, physical parts of my body. Somehow, mind and body are connected beyond conscious control. Monica states that it is the release of physical tensions that allows us to face the subconscious emotional demons that haunt our mind and limbs. She writes that yoga allows us to "feel our true emotions and let the flow," until our fear of these painful emotions is "replaced by freedom," until the truth that our the demons of our emotional existence cannot destroy us is realized. As I delve deeper in my yoga practices and my self-awareness, I will strive to find these demons, to accept them as part of the pains that come with the passing of life, and to let them flow out of my body so I can accept my freedom.

Intention #1

"Good things happen when you meet strangers." ~ Yo-Yo Ma

Tomorrow, I will meet a stranger and strike up a conversation with them.