The Heat is On

The last few days in Philadelphia have been hot and humid. For those of you not living in the area, we’ve had record temperatures for four days. Those in the media here have had a field day with their excessive heat warnings and stories on how to “beat the heat”.

As the wave began and I started to melt, I remembered a quote written by Eckhart Tolle in his book, The Power of Now. He wrote, “Learn to surrender to what is”. In his book, Tolle advises his readers to try to surrendering to the moment instead of resisting what is happening.

So in this heat and humidity, I tried to do just that… surrender. I surrendered to the heat on the side lines of the soccer fields by staying cool under an umbrella. I surrendered by drinking tons of water and eating light. I surrendered in my yoga practice by slowing down. I surrendered as a teacher by keeping my classes simple for my students. Much to my surprise, it worked! I survived the heat without a lot of mental drama and the high heat is now over.

I think that the reason I was able to keep my cool is because I didn’t think or talk about it much. I consciously ignored the media hype. I think that if I had resisted the heat or struggled with the fact that the heat index was 107 degrees my experience would have been quite different. I know that I would have been thinking and talking about the heat incessantly. I would have also been watching the tube for ways to “beat the heat”.

What I’ve learned from Tolle is that resistance requires energy. Resistance causes thinking and too much thinking requires a lot of energy and creates stress. Too much stress agitates the nervous system and, and, and… generates HEAT! When we think and resist and whine and complain, we literally fry our systems. Wow. This was a big “ah-ha” moment for me. So by simply not thinking about the excessive heat, by surrendering to the moment, I was able to stay cooler both physically and emotionally.

This is a start. I recognize that it is a whole lot easier to surrender to a heat wave than to something much larger like a strained relationship, a work situation or an illness. This was a baby step for me, but it was a necessary step. I know that I will be faced with greater challenges in my life that will require me to let go and surrender. For now, I’ll take the heat wave and work from there.

Peace.

Recommended Reading: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle