Holding on

My daughter and son-in-law have just returned from a beautiful, relaxing holiday. He said to me, ‘Carole, I’m desperately trying to hang on to the feeling of being totally relaxed’. I completely get what he’s saying, and we’re like that after a yoga practice too, aren’t we? How do we hold on to that feeling of peace, that feeling of bliss?

When you come back from being away, the world crowds back in. We feel the tension all around us. We feel the expectations and demands of everyday life. It doesn’t take long for the peace to be shattered. Yoga, though, hopes that by achieving the peace and bliss on a regular basis, it can eventually become the norm. When you live more of your life in a peaceful way, and less of your life in tension, you find your inner balance. You stay centred.

It’s useful to become aware of what pulls you out of your centre. Is it being too busy? Is it other people? Is it the nagging voice in your head? Is it fatigue? Knowing what disturbs your peace gives you an opportunity to address it. So, the second step is to come up with strategies to find your way quickly back into balance. Retreating to the loo is often a good ploy in a busy household! Or going out to water the garden, walk the dog, or deadhead the roses. Sometimes a whiff of lavender oil is enough, or humming a chant. Find what works for you…think of it as first aid for the spirit.

Loving yourself is a good place to start. When you love yourself you recognise that you deserve peace. You deserve bliss. And when you spend more time centred than not, you’ll notice the difference that that makes to those around you. Everyone wins!

OM Shanti Shanti Shanti….OM Peace Peace Peace

Past Life

My beloved yoga practice and career have never been able to cure my restless leg syndrome. Yoga has, of course, helped and I have tried a myriad of other therapies with little or no lasting effect. Restless legs in the evening are a nuisance and feel like a punishment. Everyone else is able to sit and relax in the evenings, so why not me? Why must my legs be jumping and jerking? Since I also have a hip injury at the moment, I decided to consult my wonderful healer to see if he could unravel some past karma.

The healer was able to find 18 past lives for me. He scanned them to see if any of them would shed light on my current difficulties. He discovered that 13 lives back offered an insight. In that life I was born in France. I lived from 1551 – 1568. I was born into a family of tanners who made leather into the reins, saddles and harnesses for horses. I had 3 older brothers. I was expected to do all the tanning, cleaning and cooking, and the only place where I could sleep was in the kitchen. It wasn’t much of a life. Because of the area of my injury – hip and pelvis – the healer was expecting to discover that I had been abused. However, this was not the case. At 17 I decided to escape, and I crossed the border into Germany. There, sadly, I fell over on a cobbled street and was trampled by a carriage and two horses. The carriage rolled over my pelvic area. This was an accident…there was no malice or intention. When the healer told me this story, I burst into tears. It resonated with me. He then went on to erase the incident from my subconscious so that the healing could begin.

What my wonderful therapist had no way of knowing was that my father, in this life-time, was the Chairman of a hide-and-skin firm! He visited tanners frequently and supplied manufacturers with leather. Strange to tell, I also had 3 older brothers. One was a real sibling, the other two were known as the ‘foster boys’. And I love horses. I did a lot of horse-riding as a child, and we owned 2 horses when my children were young. Clearly, I bear no ill-will towards the horses who accidentally trampled me! In this lifetime, at age 13, I was involved in a horse-related accident. I was riding a very lively 3 year old called Thunder. We were cantering when Thunder put down his head sharply and I went over the top. As he cantered on, one hoof landed on my lower back. Although this was fleeting, horses are heavy and it made an impact. In those days you were put straight back on the horse, and my injury was never checked out. The healer says that my lower back is in a horrible state, and that he has no idea how I have taught yoga for the last 48 years! I believe that my yoga has healed and sustained me.

Yesterday morning my hip was a little less uncomfortable. I am completely open to the idea that healing can now begin. Unfortunately, the restless legs doggedly persist! One day…one day I will find a cure for them. Apparently 15% of the population experience restless leg syndrome. There has to be an answer!

OM Shanti Shanti Shanti