Practice Pages: Alignment
Alignment. It’s quite the buzz word.
Everywhere I turn someone is talking about being “in alignment.”
Perfect alignment
Not just physical alignment – as in the proper position of the pelvis in tadasana (mountain pose) – although it IS part of the picture. People are referring to a much broader topic that affects every aspect of our lives, from our body’s ability to heal itself to our capacity for creating wealth and abundance.
Pretty important stuff.
When we’re in alignment, we’re expressing ourselves in a way that’s authentic and representative” of who we really are at our core. We’re not doing the “square peg, round hole” thing and manipulating ourselves to fit the mold of who we think we’re “supposed” to be. We’re courageously showing up as the real deal, following our dreams (not someone else’s), being honest about what’s alive inside us, and deliberately discerning between the ever present “Monkey Mind” chatter and our true heart’s desires and intentions.
Sounds great on paper, but staying in alignment is often easier said than done.
Luckily, there are tools!
When we stray from our truth – whether we’re devaluing our time by charging too little for our services or holding onto a belief that limits our joy and creative potential – there are simple tools we can use to guide ourselves right back into alignment.
Prana shakti, the creative life-force, flows through us at all times as an invisible stream of well being. There is no stream of sickness, lack, or any other supposed opposite to well being flowing through us. There is only well being; and in each moment, we’re either allowing or resisting this flow.
Depending on what we’re busy thinking about, talking about and doing something about, we are, in each moment, either moving closer to, or further from, our highest intentions. We’re either moving into alignment or out of alignment, and we can feel which one it is if we’re tuned into our own inner guidance.
In Alignment = Allowing the Flow
We know we’re in alignment when we feel open and appreciative. We’re not using subjects in our external environment as an excuse to resist, withhold love or stop trusting in the Universe to support us.
Likewise, we know we’re in good physical alignment on the mat because it feels good to find that sweet spot in each pose – the balance between work, rest and play. The feel-good sensation confirms proper alignment in the asana, much like the feel-good sensation in our belly signifies that the current thoughts and perspectives we’re offering out are in alignment with our personal truth (moving us closer to, rather than further from, our most abundant and authentic life).
Out of Alignment = Resisting the Flow
We know we’re out of alignment when we feel closed off, contracted, or upset. The same stream of well being that otherwise flows through us is being pinched off by our own resistance.
These “clenchy” sensations are nothing to be afraid of. They’re just friendly signals (coming direct from source), alerting us that because of our current thinking, we’re now disallowing our own well being. We’re actually mis-creating, and if we keep at it, we won’t be very happy when t
