Ebbs and flows

Ahh the feeling of coming back to this blog after a long hiatus is probably what someone who has been cancelling on their personal trainer feels like- It hurts, because of the guilt of being away and the perceived pain of starting all over again. 

Often in this blog I like to share cool new lessons or things I have been doing. 
Lately, I have struggled to write a good solid post as the things I have been doing have seemed pretty trivial, such as:
- I snapped my bike handle in half.
- There have been many attempts to put up a spice rack in my house but as my house is really old the walls crumble, finally found a solution by hanging the spice rack and suspended spices is the newest home wares trend, I'm sure. 
- I stopped writing for a while as Melbourne Fringe Festival was on and I was writing a ton of reviews and I went to NZ and I have been tittering away at some new bits of script for "Banana Jolie- Gone Bananas" variety show. 

Underneath all that biz is the constant hum of the ongoing quest for a work-creative-spiritual-social-making the most of time- getting enough sleep-life- balance. 

Diving into everything with full gusto has terrific rewards, yet can leave one a bit miffed when others don't prioritise things in the same way. What I have to step back and force myself to see is that we can't be "on" in a constant state of flow (when you are managing to balance everything and get a million things done all whilst having perfectly shaped eyebrows) all the time.....you need to have some ebbs (being seen at the supermarket buying a packet of scotch fingers by that cutey from the gym as you empty the contents of your bag on the counter (yoga pants, receipts, your journal, a half eaten carrot) to find your wallet.)

AND although this feeling can initially cause lament, if you look at the ocean or the stream, if it constantly pushed in the one direction- eg flow without ebb, then it is nowhere as beautiful or INTERESTING to watch as a stream or ocean that is dynamic and dashing. 
The reason Phil Collins' hit song "In the Air Tonight" is such a gnarly banger is because it starts off quiet (ebb) and then the epic drum solo comes in (flow.)

or vise versa.

That makes me think about how my own yoga practice constantly reminds me this- there was a time when I didn't feel like I had had a proper yoga sesh if I wasn't doing tons of chaturangas, balances and planks in a hot room. I was pretty misguided and was putting too much pressure on myself and the class - my approach was all wrong (I used to even get angry in class- umm, completely the opposite of what you would expect but that's actually quite common)
Thankfully I have come to learn that that is not yoga- it's a westernised "lean, mean, expensive machine" version of it. Sometimes, the hardest thing in yoga asana practice is not moving from downward dog to warrior- a genuine flow, it is the slow beginning, the child's pose that goes longer than you want it to or savasana (corpse pose lying down at the end.) 
Similarly, when you are all go at work and have plenty of things on the list it is easier than having to slow down and get back to the drawing board, and actually be bored. 

Since it is a while since I have posted, I feel I have lost my writing rhythm a bit, and am self-consciously writing this section to say that I hope you are picking up what I'm putting down- catching my drift about the beauty in ebb and flow and just going with it.

To finish, I shall leave you with what Martial artist and founder of Japanese martial art Akido; Morihei Ueshiba says:

Consider the ebb and flow of the tide. When waves come to strike the shore, they crest and fall, creating a sound. Your breath should follow the same pattern, absorbing the entire universe in your belly with each inhalation. Know that we all have access to four treasures: the energy of the sun and moon, the breath of heaven, the breath of earth, and the ebb and flow of the tide.

The ebb and flow of the tide and life is a treasure my friend. Look after it.

Jj