this body is perfect... aches, pleasures, pain and all

"It's also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that's sitting right here right now...with its aches and its pleasures...is exactly what we need to be fully human, fully awake, fully alive."

~ Pema Chodron

Have you ever held a yoga pose to the point of near exhaustion, where you felt totally alive in your muscles, bones, and body as a whole?

Have you ever pushed your body beyond what your mind thought was capable?

Have you ever laid in the grass on a hot summer day and felt the warmth of the sun on your bare skin?

Have you ever felt the pain, shock, awe, aches and pleasure of birthing a child?

Have you ever suffered an injury, encountered sickness or dis-ease that placed you squarely in your body?

Have you felt the warm embrace of a loved one you've desperately missed?

Have you felt your body take the next step you thought was impossible?

Have you surrendered it all and gave in to physical exhaustion?

Have you ran into water, dove head first, engulfing your body in the liquid flow of the ocean?

Have you felt the pain of your heart literally breaking?

And the questions I'm asking myself and asking you:

What did you learn?

Do you view pleasure as good, pain as bad?  How does it feel to have that belief?

How can you be in and with your body as it is and use it as a tool for growth and transformation?

What are the times you learned the most from your body, it's yes's and no's?

How can you be fully awake, fully human, and fully alive in your yoga practice?

This passage by Pema Chodron served as my inspiration for my yoga classes and practices this week.

Goodness.