“Everybody thinks their opinion is the right one. If they didn’t, they would get a new one.” Anne Lamott
I spent the afternoon harvesting dandelions for dinner tonight. I haven’t always had a cozy relationship with the so-called weed. For years, the beginning of spring heralded what I fondly referred to as the Dandelion Wars. With my trusty weeding tool in hand I headed out to the back forty–a small patch of lawn wherever I lived– to get rid of the dandelions. For the past few years I knew that you could eat this prolific weed, but I continued to fight the good fight. Then a few days ago something shifted, perhaps it was the yummy recipes I heard about (flower fritters, sauted greens in olive oil and garlic) or maybe it was something inside of me. I am still digging dandelions, but “harvesting dinner” has a really different feel to it than “weeding”. There are lots of things worth fighting for, like human rights and environmental justice; a weed-free lawn is just not one of them. As a mother I felt like I was dressed for battle a lot of the time. Getting my son to sleep through the night, getting him to slow down, eat healthier food…on and on and on.
Are there battles that you are fighting? Yoga invites us to soften our stance and open our minds to consider our beliefs in a new light. Are there battles you would like to cast off?
On The Mat
Before starting, ask yourself, “Is there something I am battling with? Is it necessary?” Just allow the question to float in your awareness as you come onto your mat. There are two poses that I like to practice when I feel armored, and ready to do battle against something or someone in my life. No, it isn’t warrior. I like to practice poses of surrender; heart opening, belly softening poses. Bridge and Camel are my two favorite, followed by Child’s pose. Today, explore bridge. As you roll up from the floor into bridge use the core muscles of the abdomen, but once up, engage the thighs and allow the belly and heart to soften. Allow the front body to open. Stay in the pose for a few slow long breaths and release tension in the neck and jaw. Simply breath and notice. Come down slowly and roll one vertebrae at a time, until you are flat on the floor again.
In child’s pose, allow the belly to soften and fully relax. When we are fighting life, we tighten and close the front body, as if to protect our heart and belly.
Off The Mat
This week, take the questions “What am I fighting, and is it necessary?” into your life as an exploration. And experiment with softening the heart and mind. Can you change the language from something that is “wrong” to something that just “is”. Can you allow it to be, can you greet it with more ease? Let me know what you find.
“May we soften our belly. May we open our heart. May life unfold with more ease.”
Be well.
Alison Rogers is a psychotherapist, yoga teacher and mother of three grown sons. She lives among the dandelions in the shadow of Mt. Sanitas in Boulder, Co. For information about her psychotherapy practice go to www.alisonrogerscounseling.com for more information and to contact Alison.
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