Spiraling Out of Control

Deciding to be creative, I started sculpting one of the bushes in front of my house into a spiral shape. I had no experience in topiary but I had a vague idea of what needed to be done. At first I was a bit hesitant taking a few snips here and there, not knowing for sure what to do and doubting that I would really complete the transformation of my bush.

Soon I realized I had to fully commit to creating this spiral and be more confident in cutting out the shape. After trimming for a while, I stopped and stepped back to get a better look from a distance at my progress. This would inspire me to go back and work some more.

The more I progressed and kept taking a step back to relax and re-evaluate what to do next, I began to see the bush and notice its inner branches. I began to realize that exposing their shape was an intricate part of the design. The more space I opened up in the bush, the more it began to change and reveal its beauty.

When I finished my project the final picture was not the same as my original idea but it had the feeling of the spiral with a lot of openness and character. When I was able to let go of my preconceived idea, I began to tap into the energy of the bush.

In yoga when we are learning a new pose it is like my experience of shaping the bush. At first we are a bit hesitant, trying to figure out what to do next; maybe not quite sure if we can really do the pose. But once we commit to the pose and experiment with where to be strong and where to be soft, we begin to feel our way into the pose.

Then we pause, come out of the pose and then try again with a new understanding and more confidence. We need that moment to step back and view the feeling of the pose from a different perspective, a place of rest. Learning the pose is a dance between playing with what we know and allowing the pose to reveal itself to our body and our abilities.

Life is the same. We test the waters, commit to action and step into the flow. We need to let go of the idea of being in complete control. The more we can remain open to possibilities and be willing to allow the universe to reveal its lesson to us, the more we will grow and come to understand our own true nature.