yoga and the roller coaster

It’s been a roller-coaster summer. Not just for me. I’ve talked with tons of super tuned-in, self-aware peeps who’ve all commented that if next summer is like this one, they’re:
a) turning their bedroom into a bunker, for uber cry-sessions
b) setting aside extra moolah for retail therapy
c) booking a vacation–by themselves

Old habits, traits, and ways of being we thought we’d resolved or moved beyond are rearing up again: Mini temper tantrums, mega insecurity, control-freak tendencies, or complete passivity, to name a few. We all credit certain people in our lives for bringing these traits up, and helping us realize we’re not quite as damned yogic as we thought we were. Or are we?

Isn’t the ability to simply recognize our tendencies a maha achievment–in the most neutral, not positive or negative, Buddhist sense of the word, of course.

How about this gem, from a student in one of my classes recently: “I was so annoyed when that person arrived late, Lindsey. Usually this would nearly ruin the class for me, because I’d be battling this irritation away the whole time. But this time, I didn’t fight it. I meditated on it. And it went away in about three breaths.”

Bing! Light bulb! We all remember this: What we resist, persists.

Here’s what’s working for me, and a few hundred other people I know: Jealous? Feel it. Insecure? Admit it. Angry? Voice it. Don’t fight it. Don’t fear it. Don’t be ashamed of it.

Embrace it, and then watch it go.