An Extraordinary Practice

Yesterday I had an extraordinary practice. I took the one hour noon Stationary Series class. Same series of poses practiced one or two times. Very ordinary you might say.

It was anything but. This practice was something else. From the outside, I moved from ordinary pose to ordinary pose. But from the inside, my world was magnificently brilliant and completely alive. The reason for this, I think, is that I was able to stay present for a sustained period of time.

The Buddhists say that when fully present, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Washing the dishes can become a deeply fulfilling practice. The Buddhist practice of sand art supports this philosophy. Each grain of ordinary sand, placed properly by a monk will collectively become a beautiful picture.

I stepped onto my mat yesterday with a simple intention to pay attention to my breath. That’s it. And I began… interlace fingers under chin, set gaze… take a deep breath in.
As I moved from pose to pose, tension melted from my body and the sound of my breath became magnified in my mind. A deep sense of peace came over me and the amazing thing is that I didn’t recognize this until after the practice. I was so focused on my breath that my mind did not recognize thought. I was practicing above the level of thought. So cool!

This state of being was not new to me. I’ve had glimpses. What was different for me yesterday was that I was able to sustain this state for the entire practice. The predictability of the Stationary Series supported and contained my experience.

Many of our regular Flow students are challenged in the Stationary Series. Mentally challenged, that is. I’ve heard it said that the Stationary Series is “so boooorrrring” or “it is the same poses over and over”. That’s right, it is! I felt the same way once.

However, the simplicity and the predictability of the SS class is the container in which the mind can practice being present. Since there is nothing to anticipate, the mind can relax in the moment. That is the beauty of the ordinary.

If I could bottle my experience yesterday, I’d sell a million by next week. But I cannot. As Krishnamurti said, “true power must be experienced”. I encourage you to practice only the Stationary Series for your next ten classes. At first it may seem ordinary but fasten your seat belts, the extraordinary may be only a breath away!

Peace.