Our neighbors are out of the country this month and they asked us to watch their hamster Peanut. We have had him for about two weeks now and it is very obvious that Peanut has a strong, daily predictable pattern to his life. He sleeps in the back left corner of his cage all morning (who knew hamsters were nocturnal), then when the afternoon sun peake through the windows of my daughter's bedroom he climbs into this tube attached to his cage and go back to sleep some more. Then when the sun sets, re rises and runs obsessively on the wheel...allllll.....night....long!
It isn't just Peanut who feels prisoner to his pattern, we have them too! Strong daily patterns of tension in our bodies, predictable patterns of thoughts in our minds. Our behaviors and reactions even follow a pattern for many of us. We get so locked into our patterns that we don't even know there is any other way to be. Peanut has no idea that he is trapped inside this cage, repeating the same pattern day in and day out.
When we step onto our #yoga mat we get a taste of what it would be like if we shattered our patterns. For 75 minutes we move, breathe, think and explore in different, new and exciting ways and this experience leaves us forever different. For on our yoga mat we taste freedom and it keeps us coming back. Our bodies and minds might have strong patterning, but our soul is free and when we experience it, when we break free from our patterns we are never the same.
One night after feeding Peanut I forgot to latch the cage tight all the way, but I didn't realize it. It was only when my husband woke me in the middle of the night to alert me that Peanut had broken free. Luckily I found him and put him safely back in his cage, this time with heavy text books pilled on top. Peanut had spent hours while we were sleeping roaming free around our house. The next day and for days to follow there was a noticeable change in his patterns. He still spent the morning sleeping in the back left corner of the cage, but throughout the day I would check on him and he would be awake and exploring his cage. Some days he would spend the morning sleeping in the tube he reserved for the afternoon. He is still running obsessively in his wheel at night, but now he takes break, climbs up on top of his food dish and tries to push the lid off the cage. His patterning may be strong, but his soul knows deep down that it is free and that freedom sings louder than even the most imbedded patterns.
For one night Peanut tasted freedom and it has forever changed him. He longs to be free from his predictable patterns, we all do. We want to break out of the tension in our bodies, the thoughts in our minds and roam in the freedom of our soul. We all have patterns, but beneath them all we are FREE! Break free and savor the freedom of your soul! #mindfulness
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