This week I have been mulling over some thoughts around rules in our personal lives, the rules we place upon ourselves for no reason at all, other than creating them for personal boundaries or a sense of right and wrong in our own head and heart. Sometimes they are connected to society's rules, and sometimes not. For example, my own rule of leaving for work at least 90 minutes early, when I live 12 minutes away by car. It alleviates the "just in case" stress I place upon myself when I do not have a buffer of time between activities. Another one is saying please and thank you. Why? It is polite, and it is what I have been taught. It is an unspoken rule in civilized places to say those things.
In this past week or so, at hot yoga, there have been a lot of people with the sneezies, the farties, the burps, the noises we usually say, "Excuse me, God bless you," etc., and with the appropriate response. There is a golden rule in Bikram hot yoga that the teacher speaks and the students do not speak. So, there is a time in our polite society when it is inappropriate to say those niceties. The teacher can say, "God bless you," if someone sneezes, but it is completely unnecessary. I have had the burps a lot recently, and some poses on my stomach have had me actually throwing up a little bit on the towel and mat. No one is to come help me, no one is to ask if I am okay. And I am okay.
There is a sense of freedom in breaking the rules of polite society in yoga class. We are to look inward, focus inwardly, and ignore the status quo. I am embracing the freedoms of non-response! After all, what is the punishment or self affliction if I break a few unwritten rules?
What about you? Are you ever feeling risky or free enough to break the rules sometimes? What are your own unwritten rules for yourself? I want to hear from you!
Blessings,
KJ Landis
In this past week or so, at hot yoga, there have been a lot of people with the sneezies, the farties, the burps, the noises we usually say, "Excuse me, God bless you," etc., and with the appropriate response. There is a golden rule in Bikram hot yoga that the teacher speaks and the students do not speak. So, there is a time in our polite society when it is inappropriate to say those niceties. The teacher can say, "God bless you," if someone sneezes, but it is completely unnecessary. I have had the burps a lot recently, and some poses on my stomach have had me actually throwing up a little bit on the towel and mat. No one is to come help me, no one is to ask if I am okay. And I am okay.
There is a sense of freedom in breaking the rules of polite society in yoga class. We are to look inward, focus inwardly, and ignore the status quo. I am embracing the freedoms of non-response! After all, what is the punishment or self affliction if I break a few unwritten rules?
What about you? Are you ever feeling risky or free enough to break the rules sometimes? What are your own unwritten rules for yourself? I want to hear from you!
Blessings,
KJ Landis
RSS Feed