brave the storm

I knew that it was raining when I woke up from my post-church nap. I didn't bother to grab a jacket as I rushed out the front door and tossed my belongings into the front seat because it's only water - it will dry eventually.

Driving down I-30 to the studio, I slowed my pace as the rain was more than just sprinkles. Some flooding of certain parts even caused my vision to be completely blocked until my windshield wipers saved me and cleared the water off my vehicle and out of my eyes.

I wondered if there would be anyone at the class. I wondered if there was still a class. I had registered for it yesterday as 4:30 is my only available time slot on Sundays, but also because I absolutely love the restorative class and the instructor who leads the Sunday one. I gently wove my way downtown Fort Worth avoiding potholes full of water to arrive to the parking lot that did in fact have cars.

Grabbing a sweatshirt from the chaos that is my backseat, I stepped in and around puddles up to the familiar door opening it to see the instructor at the small desk. "You made it!" she exclaims. I shake off some of the droplets, but don't care as I place my shoes and belongings into a cubby. I am here now, and as I glance into the studio there are others.

"Hey Samantha!" a voice exclaims. The red-head is back.

"You're back already?" I ask confused since he had previously told me that he did not have enough time so he had allowed his membership to expire. This was like a week ago.

"Yeahhhhhhhh," he replied.

"I got bored," he added as he filled up his cup of water.

"Oh, well glad you're back," I say before we both enter the studio.

"We'll be using a wall today Samantha," the instructor notes as I began to gather the props and my mat.

I love when we use the wall. It's this new perspective your body is able to feel through poses on the wall, with the wall, against the wall.

We began on our backs centering our focus on our breath. Thunder shuddered so hard that it felt like it shook the building. Even with my eyes lightly closed I could see the flash of the lightning. Yet, we inhaled and exhaled blocking out the commotion. In the middle of a thunderstorm, we developed harmony in our breath, through our poses, by taking time out of our day and despite the weather coming together as a community to bring balance to ourselves.

After class, we opened our eyes and were welcomed by the warm rays of sunshine. Yeah, the storm passed and we meditated our way through it. "Meditation isn't clearing the mind; it's focusing on one thing." Somehow there is a misperception of meditation like it requires total silence, hours of focus, and the obliteration of random thought. That is not the case.

We are able to meditate with one fluid inhale and one fluid exhale. This small moment we can create any where giving ourselves complete centering of our mind and body. When you recognize the ability that you have within yourself, the whole perspective on what control means shifts. Just like when you move into a pose against the wall - the same pose done sitting on the mat is now completely different effecting different muscles and providing a different emotional experience because the perspective shifts.

We were in a storm, but we chose to not be influenced by the chaos of it. Instead, we embraced the beauty of it. The fluidity of the water can be paralleled in our ability to move within ourselves during our meditative state scanning our body, intentionally relaxing places of tension and stress, redirecting our thoughts when they become random, and moving in unison with fellow yogis.

Fear of a storm only perpetuates the transference of it's negative characteristics onto yourself. Some days bring rain, loud claps of thunder and bright streaks on lightning in the sky. But it won't last forever, so be brave.