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Country Vision - April 2000

When I first moved from Seattle out to Fall City, it took me a while to develop what I came to know as "country vision". Having grown up a city girl, my eyes were accustomed to a glaring barrage of neon, and fluorescent halogens watching over me, like guardian angels.

That first winter in Fall City, I struggled to see my way through those dark and narrow country roads, especially on nights thick with rain. I recall on one such night, much to my children's amusement, I overshot the turn to our own street, not once, but three times in a row. Although, I knew the road up the hill to our house lay somewhere a hundred yards in front of me, I couldn't see it. My eyes were still set for G.E. wattage, and without it, close as I was to home, I was lost.

The process of learning yoga is a little like developing "country vision". Although we carry around this vessel of bones and muscle called a body; a mental apparatus known as a mind, and deep within us resides Spirit, we're so trained to project our attention outwards, we often can't see the path home, to our Self.

In the years before I took up yoga, I made the rounds from doctor to doctor seeking relief from a lifetime of chronic respiratory infections, fatigue and pain. I was duly dosed with antibiotics and ibuprofen and told a weak immune system was the source of my ills, and there was nothing that I could do to change that.

Even though the experts had little to offer in the way of healing, I continued my search for the right doctor, the right medicine to make me better. Yet, it was through yoga that I first began to experience glimmers of what can only be called "health". The physical movement of yoga postures combined with deep breathing alleviated the constant ache in my back and gave my system a flush of energy that lasted for days afterwards.

I began to learn my way around my body, and grew to understand what kinds of foods, activities and interactions sustained the quality of vitality I was beginning to enjoy, and what drew me back into illness and pain. I noticed that peanut butter made my pulse race, wheat thickened the congestion in my chest and made me feel dopey and tired, driving a clutch aggravated my back. As I now explain to beginners, yoga is a really the journey of cultivating a healthy relationship with yourself. The teachings provide a well-lit path on the way to you meeting You.

For most adults in our culture, this is a contrary way of thinking about relationship. Our orientation from childhood onward is primarily centered around meeting the expectations of others and fitting into a cultural image of who we should be, as opposed to who we truly are. Even our own image of self is overlaid with the messages given to us by parents, teachers, mates, friends, not to mention societal norms.

It's not all that surprising that our body sends out S.O.S. messages in the form of pain, illness and disease. It's literally dying for our attention, for us to SEE how the choices we make dissociate us from our truth.

Often beginners are amazed that the simplest postures can have such a powerful effect in reducing stiffness in their joints, anxiety and stress. I reassure them yoga is not magic; the magic is in their choice to tend to themselves. Like a neglected child that tantrums till it's noticed, the body, mind and spirit will scream until we are willing to pay attention. When we take our first mindful breath in yoga, it's like a lightbeam shining into our core and revealing that forgotten Self within.

A few years back, I worked with a man, addressing his low back pain through movement, breath, relaxation & awareness exercises. One day, he came to class and announced that he realized his back seized up each Monday morning as he reached for the door to enter the corporate office in which he worked. Through deep reflection, he understood that his relationship to work was out of balance, and his back was the smoke alarm, warning him he needed to make some conscious changes. He set clear parameters around his hours, refused to stay for late meetings and stopped taking work home on the weekends. His back pain consequently subsided.

This is the inner vision that comes through the practice of yoga. Like my country eyes it takes some time to readjust the gauge of our awareness, so we become sensitive to the world inside and can see our path clearly. At first we hover, unsure as to when to turn the wheel. Eventually, the light within grows brighter. We look less to the "experts", as we become expert at understanding what is good for us, what we need, and what will empower us to grow healthy, compassionate and wise.

As spring arrives with its yearly promise of renewal, I send this prayer of inspiration to each of you - May you Find and Follow the Path of the Heart. Thank you for the support and energy you bring to The Yoga Barn. We've loved being a part of Issaquah and look forward to our continued growth together.

In Peace,

The Yoga Barn, Inc.
Robin Rothenberg, Certified Yoga Instructor
660 NW Gilman Blvd., Suite C6, Issaquah, WA  98027
Studios located in both Issaquah and Fall City
Phone: 425.427.0038  -  Fax: 425.427.0613
E-mail: info@yogabarn.com  -  Web: www.yogabarn.com

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