Skeleton Dance
Thank you so much to all who have submitted book suggestions!! Awesome, awesome, awesome… I’m thinkin’ now that we’ve moved the Cambridge Move page will come down & I’ll devote that page to books! Yoga bibliophiles unite! 
Today I was having a glum draggy day for no good reason which persisted through teacher’s practice. It was alleviated only once I got my head out of my own BS and focused on getting my hands on & assisting others. Which brought me back to a conversation I had with a friend a few days ago that I’ve been mulling on ever since.
She brought up the question of when an emotional issue comes up (the yoga mat is like a giant catalyst for this), when do we know it’s time to stop avoiding it & dive in & deal. And how do we deal?
That’s a doozy of an issue on its own. Flip side that also keeps buggin’ me is when do we know it’s time to stop wallowing in an issue, picking at the scab as it were, and get out of own way & on with our life.
The vague, almost euphemistic term “issues” refers to maybe pus pockets from our past, like abuse, or current bogeymen of debt, addiction, eating disorders, being in a damaging relationship with ourself or someone else… name your poison. Avoiding or drowning suck equally & fracture our insides just when we’re looking to become whole.
There’s this mirroring effect & maybe some of the same indicators apply to both sides. If we’re shutting down, turning to food or alcohol or drugs or sex or self-destruction to distract ourselves or numb out, or if we’re isolating ourselves, these are all signs that what we’re doing isn’t working — whether its how we’re avoiding or conversely, obsessing.
If we’re feeling it, moving through it, talking to safe, trusted people and become more open to ourselves & those we love, those are signs of a constructive approach. Getting professional help when feeling overwhelmed or when feeling stuck in a festering fishbowl is a warrior’s choice — Just Do It.
And ceremony can be a great way to let go of what’s darkening the spirit — even as simple a ceremony as writing down what you want to be rid of & burning the piece of paper along with some sage. Sometimes one needs to do this more than once; more than even once a day maybe.
Cuz at some stage, we all end up needing to take the skeletons in our closet out dancing for a night on the town… but we don’t gotta spend the rest of our lives dragging them around like Marley’s chains. I imagine a kind of perpetual daycare where we can drop off our skeletons & they can be left to keep each other company, play cards & swap tales, while we get to go on with our lives a little freer, a little lighter. 
Tags: Healing
August 26th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
I like the idea of a skeleton day care, because they definitely don’t just disappear (as I’ve been finding out). I guess that’s what we do when we talk with friends and other people about whatever is “dragging” us down, we drop our skeletons off at day care, lol. Very nice
August 27th, 2009 at 12:33 am
Love the image of letting the skeletons hang out together and leave us alone.
Great blog. Thanks.
Bob Weisenberg
http://www.yogademystified.com
August 27th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Another thing I’ve been realizing is that sometimes simply acknowledging what is really bothering you (either by saying it to yourself or writing it) can be enough to help you get through a moment until you’re at a place/time when you can really give it the attention it needs–rather than trying to ignore it all together
August 27th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Tara, I think you’re totally on to something there. It’s like the skeletons want to be noticed, named (Hi, Fred! How’s that jawbone hangin’?
& that helps us to be ok.
Bob, thank you for stopping by!! I’ve ben roaming your site & would love to link to it (& your yoga book list once I get that page up) if it’s alright w/you!!