move from your intelligence, not from your will.....

Today, my teacher told us to move from our intelligence and not from our will. I'm sure her teacher shared this wisdom and she chose to pass it on.....as I am passing it on here.

It sums up my practice in one sentence.

How often do we move from our will? All day, every day?

Well, let's see - the alarm clock goes off at 6 something (while it is still dark), and I will myself to roll over and hit the snooze button. Let me tell you that my body is not ready to crawl out of a warm bed on a cold morning.....I will it to.

I will myself some mornings to be patient and compassionate with other drivers on my way to work.....wishing them well, and breathing.

I will myself to stop and sit up tall and take a deep breath several times as I sit at my computer screen . Over and over and over again.

I will myself to breathe through painful back spasms.....which are occurring at least once per day now and sometimes twice (sigh), usually between my arrival at work and the lunch hour.

I willfully sit in my chair all day, drive all day, ride in a plane all day, go to meetings all day, on many days....

When do I get a chance to move from my intelligence (or if it makes more sense, from my breath and not my body)?

In yoga of course. Breathing into a pose, not forcing myself into it. Listening inward, not willing some action to occur, but letting it just happen.

In yoga I can do this.

Estes Park Colorado

I took my spirit to the rocks

And laid it by the stream

I asked my question,

Then I slept.

And this is what I dreamed:

A full moon rising over pines

That lit the shore like day

A lover's voice

A raging fire

My question swept away.