Fall is the perfect time to remember the law of impermanence. Quite simply, nothing lasts. Ah, of course! But that’s not something that is easy to grasp or practice, right? On one hand, it’s a relief to know that whatever miserable thing that is happening won’t last. (Okay, maybe it lasts longer that I might like, but it won’t last forever!) But then on the other hand, it’s quite a downer to realize those moments of bliss and complete delight are not going to last either.
I can tell you with complete certainty that all of the suffering in my life has been when I’ve mistaken the impermanent for the permanent. When I’ve expected the blissful moments to remain the same and was then deeply distraught when they didn’t last.
Yoga is offering us these tools to be present to whatever is happening at any given moment. Yoga is not requiring or even asking us to transcend the mundane parts of our lives. It’s not even asking us to get beyond the “down” moments!
My teachers recently sent me an email that said, “You are not your worst day. You are not your best day. You are the awareness that allows you to recognize those extremes and everything else in between.”
Yoga simply says to us, here are some tools to try out. Use them to be more fully aware of yourself and all of the ways you can and will change. Because, as the old adage goes: this too shall pass.
Comments