I have been teaching yoga three days a week for two months in a garden in southern India. How often I have wondered what the tree was that I sat under. "Is it some kind of fruit?" I asked Sujata, pointing to a big pod.
"No, it is something else," she said, not knowing the English word.
Well, the last week of class, I learned, IT IS A GIANT MILKWEED PLANT! In the US, this plant grows as high as my hips, maybe, a small plant on the side of the road. Here, it is enormous, five feet or more taller than I am.
"No, it is something else," she said, not knowing the English word.
Well, the last week of class, I learned, IT IS A GIANT MILKWEED PLANT! In the US, this plant grows as high as my hips, maybe, a small plant on the side of the road. Here, it is enormous, five feet or more taller than I am.
Note: I put my sunglasses on the milkweek trunk, so you could see just how large it is!
I wanted to share this example because it speaks to the importance of paying attention, of noticing when something is different.
The ability to be awake and aware is especially important when you are working to heal yourself of constipation. Changes in the environment make a huge difference in regularity. But if you don't notice something is different, you continue to regard the arrival of your daily movement as a total mystery...or, (pardon the pun), as they say in the world of gambling, a crap shoot!
Read what an astute observer noticed:
"I am still dealing with the constipation from time to time. I think the stress of my job and family adds to the problem a lot. It seems that the last 3 or 4 weeks before a big event at work I get really bound up. We just had a three day convention and I had been so constipated for the past few weeks that I finally broke down and bought some stool softeners on Sunday and used them over the next couple of days to get some relief. I hate using them, but sometimes I just can't stand it anymore.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my job very much and I love my family, but sometimes. "
No, I don't get you wrong at all, friend...I get you as right on! It is clear that when the pressures at work or home increase, you hold this tension in your bowels. Some of us suffer from severe migraines, or debilitating back aches or burning, upset stomachs. Your body stores stress in the intestines, and you literally put yourself in a state of "lockdown."
You have a "fear of messing up" so you subconsciously don't even let yourself "make a mess" in the toilet.
Because I know you are committed to healing yourself, I suggest you make a list of all the successful meetings you have organized, to give yourself an accurate report card. Look at your history of success! Can you see that this old pattern of getting super tense and shutting down your system is no longer serving you? That, in fact, at this stage in your life, you can count on yourself to perform well? Do you see that organizing a big event at home or work is something you do with ease and with regularity?
I wanted to share this example because it speaks to the importance of paying attention, of noticing when something is different.
The ability to be awake and aware is especially important when you are working to heal yourself of constipation. Changes in the environment make a huge difference in regularity. But if you don't notice something is different, you continue to regard the arrival of your daily movement as a total mystery...or, (pardon the pun), as they say in the world of gambling, a crap shoot!
Read what an astute observer noticed:
"I am still dealing with the constipation from time to time. I think the stress of my job and family adds to the problem a lot. It seems that the last 3 or 4 weeks before a big event at work I get really bound up. We just had a three day convention and I had been so constipated for the past few weeks that I finally broke down and bought some stool softeners on Sunday and used them over the next couple of days to get some relief. I hate using them, but sometimes I just can't stand it anymore.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my job very much and I love my family, but sometimes. "
No, I don't get you wrong at all, friend...I get you as right on! It is clear that when the pressures at work or home increase, you hold this tension in your bowels. Some of us suffer from severe migraines, or debilitating back aches or burning, upset stomachs. Your body stores stress in the intestines, and you literally put yourself in a state of "lockdown."
You have a "fear of messing up" so you subconsciously don't even let yourself "make a mess" in the toilet.
Because I know you are committed to healing yourself, I suggest you make a list of all the successful meetings you have organized, to give yourself an accurate report card. Look at your history of success! Can you see that this old pattern of getting super tense and shutting down your system is no longer serving you? That, in fact, at this stage in your life, you can count on yourself to perform well? Do you see that organizing a big event at home or work is something you do with ease and with regularity?
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