Bent, Crooked & Natural.

Years ago an elderly lady visited me for lessons.

It was one of my biggest learnings,

as I discovered how unnatural my idea of posture was.

This was a long time ago…

I was a teacher shinning in ideology,

unseasoned by the vagaries of life.

She was bent over and wanted to be straight

Many of us have ideas like this:

We think our posture is “bad”

that we should look “straighter” or be “upright”

She was the same. Just like us.

So I began the lesson

wanting to help her with this idea…

It was my big mistake!

I was not respecting her structure.

She could be free or she be straight.

But if she wanted to be straight

the only way was to make ridiculous

amounts of tension to hold her Body

against its natural structure.

Natural is how things are.

Natural does not mean wonderful.

The Great Eastern Earthquake in Japan was natural

but very little was wonderful about it.

“Natural” is another way of saying

“Things are how they are” –

Don’t argue with reality

because you will only lose.

My elderly pupil was arguing with reality.

Her structure had already changed,

it was already bent. Permanently so.

Embracing her structure,

becoming its friend –

this was her path to freedom.

When I finally understood this,

I realised our lesson together was not about posture.

It was about undoing an idea that made her stiff.

The idea that she “should” be like this.

Who said? Why should she?

I asked her to drop this idea,

to follow my hands and embrace her structure

to embrace how she is. I touched her this way…

“How does that feel?” I asked…

“So easy!” she said smiling.

Of course she was not straight,

but she was free.

If an idea makes you stiff,

mostly likely you are fighting nature.

Try for a moment asking a simple question:

“Why is it necessary for me?”

Maybe it's not.

Maybe it is just your idea

that is making you stiff, stressed and unhappy.

Wonder for today this simple question:

“if my wish makes me stiff – why do I wish it?”

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