The two flies would not go away. They landed–on my feet, my arms, my legs–I swiped. They landed. I swiped. Didn’t they know I was trying to do my asanas? The nerve!
This went on for what seemed like an unbearably long time, and I got more and more frustrated, and less and less interested in my asanas, and more and more interested in the flies.
Two tiny flies. I had let them take over my practice. Let’s try to re-read that without laughing: I let two tiny flies take over my practice. I’ve got the giggles already! :)
What I realized that day is that it wasn’t the flies creating my frustration and wrecking my practice. I couldn’t even feel them on my skin; when I closed my eyes, I didn’t even know they were there. It was my reaction to the flies that messed me up. Let’s re-read that: It was my reaction to the flies that messed me up. Wow. How’s that for empowering?
I can’t make flies go away, but as for my reaction? That I can make go away.
Take-Away Yoga Tip: Let’s see if we can recognize how much control we have over our internal world, despite the lack of control we have of our outer world. Construction noise, loud neighbours, a demanding boss, a day packed full of work. Let’s see if we can recognize our reaction as what causes us stress, and see if we can let that go.
