This present moment is as open as you are willing to be....-David Deida

I love that quote from "Naked Buddhism" By David Deida
It is a reminder to me that opening is a process that I have to choose to make. Nothing outside of me will invite me to open. The invitation to open to life more deeply and fully is mine alone to make. David also has a chapter in his book that talks about sooner or later this present moment will be your last. This breath right now could be it, or the next, or this one. Just as you are reading this your very life could end. That's a little morbid but truth is when we think of death it reminds us to live, when we don't think of death, we fear it.

Opening up to life deeply means also opening to death deeply. To notice the inhales of the day as well as the exhales. To feel freshness, as well as closure. In our practice of yoga we have an opportunity with every breath, every pose, every transition to open to everything. We can observe the creation, sustaining, dissolution, and then the concealment and revealment. This is known as the five acts of Siva. Nothing is fixed and everything is along the journey in process within these five acts.

When we feel like we are resisting, clenching, clinging, for whatever reason the beauty of opening is that at any given point whether you are enjoying your life or not, if it's good or if it's bad, the truth is it is already changing right now, it's in process along the 5 acts. The key is to not get stuck in to believing that any of the acts is forever. In fact every dimension of life, your life and the life of everything is in stage along one of the acts. Every relationship, situation, life form, etc is in motion along the 5 part path.

When we open we allow ourselves to be in the journey, arriving not at somewhere but just allowing ourselves to experience fully our path in the act right now. Not to rush, change, manipulate, or anything, just allow ourselves to open to the moment as our guide and teacher. Knowing that what will unfold if we open rather than resist will lead us beautifully into the next chapter.

You can feel this very tangible in an asana practice. The more you force things to happen, the more you run into resistance. The more you practice with this mindset of this should be this way, that should be that way, then the more risk you run of losing what can be. The more fixed you are the less spontaneity, creativity, and freedom you allow and then practice and life become a function, or a to do, rather than willing experience of profound opening.

Right now, are you opening or are you stuck? Can you gently encourage yourself to open?

This moment is as open as you are willing to be.

Peace,

Michael