The Joys of Falling

Abhinivesha

One of the most effective ways to teach a kid to swing across a jungle gym is to first teach them how to fall. 

It’s so tempting to keep our feet on the ground.  It’s familiar.  It’s known.  But even as we keep our feet on the ground, our minds are inevitably in the sky. Our thoughts are roaming wild, imagining a future in which the worst happens. This clinging to the ground is what yoga philosophy calls abhinivesha. It’s fear.

But we are called to do the very opposite.  We are called to let our actions fly but to keep our thoughts grounded.  We are called to step forward, move forward, to launch.  To let ourselves try.  But at the same time keep our thoughts grounded to the present moment - to reality. 

The reality is, if we fall off the jungle gym our adult is right there to slow our fall.  The reality is, if we drop on our own, our feet may sting a bit but it’s not the end of the world.  That is the wonderful gift of falling!  It reigns in our wild thoughts and reminds us of reality.  It’s not that bad. It’s grounding.    

Last week, Ryan Reynalds wrote a tribute to his good friend, Micheal J Fox.  “He falls a lot,” Ryan writes with his comedian voice shining through.  But then he continues,  “Not just because he has Parkinson’s. Micheal falls a lot because he’s unafraid to fly.”   

Unafraid to fly.

Until next time,
Laura

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