The Trouble with Stillness is ...

By S.L. Jordan

Within you there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself” ~ Hermann Hesse

it's hard!

The. End.

No, seriously. It. Is. Hard. I have always been inpatient, and I've always attributed that to my need to know how things end. Good. Bad. Indifferent. I just want to know. I spent my childhood wishing I could just fast forward to see how it ends, only to come back to the present and live out the experiences that got me to the end. Even now, when I am reading a book and my anxiety gets the best of me, I will jump ahead a few pages past the conflict to SEE what happens.

Last week, I came to the realization that I HATE TO BE STILL too. I'm not talking about the stillness of your choice; a lazy Sunday afternoon in bed binging your favorite show, the stillness that comes from a vacation at the beach, or even the stillness of your favorite snuggle with your favorite person.

I am talking about the kind of stillness that opens up your thoughts. I am currently in the process of getting my 60hr YIN Yoga, and 20hr Chair yoga certifications online through Udemy . I am at the portion of the YIN certification where I am doing a YIN practice daily. As I previously mentioned, Powerful is MY fave because I love the challenge in the physical asana. I occasionally take YIN at BIG Power Yoga, but I did so as a light stretch to end my week and to take a break from all the Powerful Flow Jams Classes I take.

However, since starting this course I have come to understand the difficulty in choosing to be still. The purpose in that stillness. When its chosen and intentional.

In YIN you hold the poses for 3-5 minutes, the practice has more of a meditative quality to it, to increase mobility/flexibility, strength in the body and the mind. Holding poses for that long creates a space for emotions to arise, and it takes more of an effort to stay present. Almost 2 minutes into the pose, and I start thinking of what I have to do after class - in a Powerful Flow class I do not have time for my mind to wander because I am constantly flowing.

Check out one of the poses below. This class focused on the Kidney/Urinary Bladder Meridians.

As you can see, I am on the blade edge of my right foot. I had to KEEP recentering in this pose.

But that's the practice of Yoga. You come out. You get back in. Practice the Practice.

Check out this dope article I found while reading on stillness.

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