SOVEREIGN, MAGICIAN, WARRIOR, LOVER

I'm still trying to find my rhythm after my 5 weeks of travel in Great Britain.  All good intentions to get fully back into my Yoga practice and YMCA workouts have been sporadic at best -- victims of jet lag, illness, conflicting commitments, and frankly, a bit of "I don't wanna" blues that has made my sofa more inviting than the yoga mat.   Does this ever happen to you?

Over the weekend my husband and I were on a retreat where we facilitated a personal growth session on the Jungian Archetypes of Sovereign, Magician, Warrior, & Lover.  Psychologist Carl Jung posited that these archetypes are working invisibly in our psyche, informing how we see and respond to the world around us.  And of course there are "shadow" archetypes of each of these as well, which tend to thwart our more benevolent intentions, but I'm focusing here on the more healthy, or "golden", facets of these and how they keep us in balance when we are aware of them.

The Sovereign creates and holds the vision.  Like a good and healthy King or Queen, the Sovereign energy within sees the big picture, is calm, balanced, confident; encourages creativity, honors and supports, gives blessing.

The Magician knows what needs to be done, and how, to realize the Vision.  The Magician uses knowledge and intuition to solve problems, uses tools/technology, is thoughtful, reflective, and clear sighted.

The Warrior enacts the Vision.  Warrior energy rouses, energizes, motivates; is focused, courageous, and mindful; removes obstacles, sets boundaries, gets the job done.

The Lover provides the reason (emotional connection) for the Vision.  Lover energy is sensually aware and sensitive to the rhythms of the world; empathetic, compassionate; elated, strong, alive, enthusiastic, romantic -- connected.

I've been thinking about these energies and how to employ them to get myself back on track.

My Vision:  to live in a state of peace with myself, those around me, and the world by having a healthy body, mind, and spirit.

My Magician: knows through study and practice that there are tools I can use to achieve this vision -- regular yoga practice in asana and meditation and regular physical activity to build endurance and muscular strength.  Diet, social interaction, relaxation time, etc. are also tools to use toward the vision.

My Warrior:  knows how to focus my intention on the vision; can remind me to remove the obstacles to achieving my vision, to set boundaries, (Don't say yes to coffee with friends on yoga mornings!), to say "no" to donuts and "yes" to fruit.  

My Lover: knows that my Vision is in service to my mental well-being, my healthy body, and living a life of connection to myself, my family, friends, community, and the world at large; this energy encourages me to find self-compassion when I mess up and to find forgiveness when others do.

When all of these archetypes are in healthy balance, well, what can stop us from realizing our visions -- from the simple to the sublime, on the mat and off?!   ©

Namaste, donnajurene

Happy Halloween, Warriors!

JUST LIKE STARTING OVER

Whew! It's good to be home.  Don't get me wrong; 5 weeks in Great Britain with my husband was great fun.  It was also exhausting.  And I came home with a head cold and a recurrence of my old migraine problem.  Too little rest, too much travel stress, too much restaurant food, maybe a wee bit too many shortbread cookies.  And no yoga.  None.  Nadda.

Pre-trip I had entertained the notion that I'd have time to find little yoga studios to pop into here and there in our travels, but being on two back-to-back tours meant the itineraries were not our own.  There was almost zero time to ourselves and what there was was spent trying to recuperate from the jam-packed on the go schedule.  One afternoon I just stayed in my room and slept.

In the almost two weeks since we've been home, I've been slowly reacclimatizing.  It was summer when we left, and suddenly it's fall and the short days mean disorientingly dark mornings and evenings.  I'm still tired and wonder how long jet lag is supposed to last.  My cold and migraines have sidelined me from the activities I had looked forward to resuming.

But I got myself to the studio on Tuesday in spite of all this.  Sipping my coffee at home, I almost talked myself out of going, but I could hear Karen's admonition that the hardest part of yoga is getting there.  So even though I was running late, I got myself out the door and on the familiar drive to the studio.

It felt great to be there.  Warm, beautiful, welcoming environment; friendly, familiar faces (and so many who were brand new!).  I told Karen to go easy on me, but others were ready for a challenge so she led a "gentle, general" class that was just right.  Except....

I could really tell I was rusty.  I knew all the poses, of course, and most felt wonderful to do.  But I also felt stiff and weak and not as bend-y.  I noticed I still have that mystery issue with my left hip not opening as it used to.  Even Child's Pose, my usual favorite resting pose, took some squirming to find a place of comfort.

The victory in all of that was noticing how accepting I was of my (temporary!) deficits.  I didn't beat myself up, but lovingly accepted that of course I was out of practice and why not after 7 weeks out of the studio?  I gently held the truth that I will resume my regular practice and continue to loosen and soften into it.

At the end of class my cough returned when I tried to lie down in Savasana, so I sat up in Easy Pose, eyes closed, meditating on the great good fortune I had to travel, to return safely, to find my yoga community thriving, and my place in it easy to inhabit again.

If you are starting over, after an absence of a day or a month or more, be gentle and know you are right where you need to be.  I'm with you.©

Namaste,  donnajurene