IN
FULL BLOOM
By Laura Plumb
It
is said that every living thing, animals, flowers, even the angels,
all want to be human - because humans have choice. We can choose
to push our roots deep into the rich, nourishing loam of this generous
earth, like the diverse flowers that make up a garden, growing in
strength towards the light, unfolding ourselves in full bloom.
We can also choose to grow in the shade despite needing full sun,
placing ourselves where we think we should be rather than where
we are most naturally inclined to grow. We might choose to bow before,
or even hide behind, more showy plants. Some people even choose
to wither, brown, dry up, or rot.
But if you were a flower wouldn’t your greatest privilege
and joy be to shine your glory and make beautiful the world? Why
would you choose anything less?
This is what it is to be fully alive. You know the feel of aliveness
- that tingling excitement, quickening of pace, lightness of being,
sparkle in the eye? You know the way the world looks shinier, people
seem kinder, nature is more beautiful, and even traffic seems to
flow more gracefully as cars pause to let you pass?
“Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head…”
~ The Beatles
On the other hand, there is that mechanical, uninspired way so many
people begin their days that the Beatles captured so perfectly in
their song, A Day in the Life... Millions of lives
on automatic pilot, spent in a blur and a rush, disconnected from
the prana of life, its juice, nectar and power.
How many of us have had that “dragged a comb across our head”
kind of day? We drag ourselves to work, drag ourselves through the
days, drag these bodies of ours to and fro without really feeling
alive?
“Don't worry about what the world needs. Ask what makes
you come alive and do that. Because what the world needs are people
who have come alive.” ~ Howard Thurman
All of us need to find whatever it is that makes us feel fully alive,
that gives us energy, that nourishes. When we take the risk of our
life and, stepping into the unknown, embrace our passion, the road
amazingly rises up to meet us. By living according to our true nature
we create harmony in our environment. By expressing our uniqueness
into the world we become like a strand of music that attunes to
supporting harmonies and makes us sound.
But how to come alive… deeply, wildly, passionately?
Yoga helps awaken "aliveness." Removing the obstacles
that drain your energy, cloud your perceptions, or simply prevent
you from feeling fully alive, Yoga opens you to your own wellspring
of inner wisdom, clarity, energy, power and creativity.
Through Yoga we discover an inner stillness and learn how to live,
create and express from this true place all the time, making life
so much more satisfying.
We all need more people who have come alive so we can dance together
in the joy of being, and together create a world that better reflects
our hearts, our love, our imaginative powers. How beautiful at the
end of a life to be able to rest in the knowing that you came, you
lived, you loved, and you fully experienced all that life held for
you.
Consider giving yourself the gift of greater awareness and unbounded
potential that Yoga has to offer, and watch yourself grow towards
the sun, ever more alive, ever more a celebration of life in all
its color and possibility.
Laura Plumb
The Heart’s Inspiration
October 2005
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