Yoga Speak: Perspective

One day this past summer, I was to pick up my parents from the airport after two weeks of travel.

I raced to finish a chock-full day to meet their six o’clock evening flight. The rainy rush hour had the traffic wound up tight. I turned on the radio and flipped through the stations and talked on the phone. I arrived at Washington Dulles Airport with time to spare and time to buy a Mounds bar. Going to the airport is like going to the movies for me. I have to buy some candy.

Standing at the arrivals, I looked down at my phone to realize I had a voicemail. It was my mom, letting me know they had missed their connection, and that they would be arriving four hours later at another airport!

Homeward bound, I drove through the rain, finishing my Mounds bar and finally arriving home after what amounted to a two and a half hour roundtrip. I was a bit cranky! It had been too serious a day, and I felt wound up, still in my heels and suit from 10 hours earlier.

I went inside the house, took off all my clothes, started a load of wash and climbed into bed. I considered the day done until it was time for another try at pick up later that night.

It was only 7 p.m. 

What was I doing in bed? I realized I might be “done” with the day, but I was not tired. I had just been sitting in a meeting all day, that was all. I hopped up, put on my yoga gear, and got back in the car for that evening’s class.

The rain had stopped. The sun was setting. Being more of a morning person, I mentally tried to energize myself. My yoga instructor always says that if something is not possible in a pose to energetically imagine doing it. I pulled up to a red light and tried to energetically wake myself up, taking a deep breath and looking up at the sky.

And there, above me, was the most magnificent rainbow I have ever seen. 

Four concentric rainbows flowed from my side of the street, up and over to the street on which I was about to turn. To get to yoga, I had to follow the rainbow! Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Four arcs of seven colors up and over my head. 

Lovely and amazing. Inspiring and energizing. I felt myself unwind.

This beautiful sight changed my perspective on the day, and I arrived at yoga ready to go. Somehow, I did not have to work too hard to undo the day. I had already left it behind at that red light under the rainbow.

You come here to unravel, the instructor told us in one of our final resting poses. In yoga, you unravel your body and unravel your day.

The practice left me feeling lovely and amazing. I left the studio and went straight to the airport. The rain had stopped, the roads were clear, and I arrived inspired and energized, with time to spare to welcome my parents home.

A collection of Anne's posts can be found at http://YogaSpeak.blogspot.com