Presence: December 2024 Theme of the Month
Yesterday evening I finished a 30 hour Restorative Yoga Training led by Judith Hanson Lasater in New Orleans. One morning during the training, Judith spoke about Presence. I chose Presence as Moonflower’s December theme of the month a couple weeks ago; so when Judith brought up this topic, I thought to myself - how auspicious! And then I thought, maybe I’ll find some material for the newsletter! And, in an unexpected way, I most certainly did.
“Wherever you are, whatever you do, make peace with the present moment.”
- Judith Hanson Lasater
It’s a beautiful sentiment, and a complex thing to put into practice. Making peace with the present requires compassion, acceptance, understanding, patience. Which we are all capable of holding, and yet in moments of irritation with the present moment, those intentions are not usually the first to come to mind.
“I’m not asking you to like the present moment, I’m just asking you to notice it.”
- Judith Hanson Lasater
In this restorative yoga training, we ended each day with an 20-minute Restorative savasana. One evening I found myself really quite irritated in savasana. My racing mind kept shifting focus: the poorly positioned blanket supporting my head and neck; someone jangling their keys in the hall; the cars squealing outside the yoga studio; my eyelashes catching on the eye pillow. Repositioning the blanket under my head and neck, I inhaled and exhaled deeply, over and over, eventually removing my eye pillow and finding a spot on the ceiling to hold my attention (a drishti, or focal point). As I stared into the rafters, I thought to myself - here I am trying to relax and really not liking this moment. And I’m choosing to notice the moment - noticing how irritated I feel by these environmental factors, noticing I can’t control all these factors, noticing…
When the chimes sang to bring us out of savasana, boy was I grateful. Grateful these moments of discomfort have come to an end, grateful that I am about to pack up for the day, eat a delicious dinner, watch an objectively bad reality tv show, and crawl into bed.
In our every day living, especially in the busy-ness of the holiday season, it is inevitable that environmental factors will irritate us - that is just a consequence of being human. Environmental irritations - sounds, sensations, even interactions with other humans - have the power to take us out of the present moment. And we have the power to choose how we respond to those irritations. Do you let those irritations take over and transform into anger or avoidance? Or do you allow those irritations to exist and acknowledge the feelings in the moment? Can you notice an irritation just as you notice a snow flake falling from the sky, knowing it will eventually melt away? Find solace in knowing all things melt away and, in doing so, make peace with the present moment.
One reason we practice asana - the physical yoga postures - is because it requires attention on the present moment. The physical poses challenge us to be fully present with the mind-body experience, to notice the sensation of each pose, and become more aware of the conscious and habitual choices we make in each pose.
This month, I encourage you to lean into the present moment of each yoga pose. Allow yourself to truly notice your experience of each pose: notice the sensations in the body - where you feel tension, ease, strength; notice the breath pattern - the length, the depth, the texture; notice when your mind begins to wander and how you bring your mind back to the present moment. Perhaps you will make peace with a pose you don’t particularly like - or at least find a drishti to hold your attention and allow the moment to pass.
What you do on the mat prepares you for what you do off the mat. When you practice being fully present in your yoga practice, you also practice the skill of being fully present in your life. Lean into presence each time you go to your mat this month - and see how it radiates through your life.
In gratitude and loving kindness,
Katie