Return to Monkey Bridge

Those of you who know me well know that I love yoga. My favourite pose is probably ‘Bridge’ pose. A close second would be ‘Freestanding Handstand.’ I love these because they really give you a different perspective. Upside down, you see the oh-so-familiar in a totally new way.
I think it’s the same reason I like reading blogs. When I find a new blog I like, I devour the writer’s archives. Reading through all their past entries I get to see what it’s like to think like them, live like them, even be like them. Voyeuristic and creepy? Maybe. A way to broaden your perspective and open yourself to the idea that, regardless of how different we seem, we’re all the same deep down? Definitely.
Another reason I love the ‘Bridge’ is that when I do it I feel like I’m recapturing something from childhood. Such a bendy, fun pose is something we could all do naturally when we were kids. As we age, we lose that natural flexibility. By the time we’re teenagers it seems like something relegated to the past, something we’ve lost forever.
It took me two years. Two years of hard work and many failed attempts. I worried sometimes I was going to snap in two. But finally I was able to make that rounded arch in my spine. Once again I knew the joy of having your body do pretty much what you want it to do. Once again I felt the thrill of reconnecting with my inner monkey.
We humans have such great capacity for change. We just need to believe that one day we will get there, focus ourselves and keep on plugging away.
Another case in point: A few years ago I used to sleep with no pillow, flat on my belly, my neck scrunched up to the side. It was the only way I could get comfortable and drift off to sleep. Then, in Australia, I hurt my back. As part of the therapy, the chiropractor said I could only sleep on my side.
I was sure I would never do it. I felt my sleeping style was something inherent that had been ingrained in me over the years. But I gave it my best shot. After a few uncomfortable nights with my arm hanging out the side of the bed, like a barrier perpendicular to my body, I got the hang of it. The habit was broken. And now I can’t think of falling asleep any way but on my side!
The only thing which limits us from developing is our motivation, our will to change.
I know I’m straying into creepy, motivational speaker territory here: A little bit too ‘Little Miss Sunshine.’ Don’t worry – I’m not trying to sell you my course on three CDs for only $29.99.
I just really believe that to change, first we have to want it badly enough.