Stop And Notice The Why

This time of year there are countless opportunities to give of ourselves. While this often brings us joy, sometimes we resent the sacrifices we are asked to make. When we do something with a spirit of frustration, we usually do more harm than good. But, that doesn’t give us a free pass to immediately turn down any request for help that doesn’t sound enticing to us.

Our yoga practice shows us another way. On the mat we often practice poses that are not our favorites. Maybe our hamstrings are tight, so we find forward bends challenging. But, we practice them anyway, because we understand that our tight hamstrings are contributing to our low back pain.

Or, it is possible that we find it difficult to stay in Savasana for 20 minutes because all of our agitation rises to the surface when we stop busying ourselves. But, we happily choose to do it, because we know that our stress dissipates when we relax deeply.

When we take a moment to notice and observe the “why” behind a request, our irritation often dissolves into joyful resolve. This week, when a request is made of you, on or off the yoga mat, give the needs behind that request an opportunity to entice you. Then only say yes when you can do so joyfully.