Restorative Faith

A phrase of my youth was, "Pray in faith and you will never live in doubt." I'm not sure where this slogan resided in my repertoire - whether it was on a book mark, I heard it in church or some influential person resounded it from their lips. The point is, this phrase came back into my mind a few days ago as I prayed for guidance. You see, some of the challenges of life have been weighing heavy on my Spirit and I have often struggled to even think about prayer. I have practiced relying on a Higher Power, no doubt, but to ask for help and then receive it has often baffled me. Support is something I have often attempted to convince myself I do not need.

I am a doer. What this means is, I ask for help then expect there to be an action I am intended to take. Sitting still, trusting the support of anyone or anything is not inherent for me. Give me a job, I am on it. Grant me a task, I will achieve. Give me an intense yoga class, I will push myself. Give me a challenge, I will find a solution.

Ask me to do nothing, I am scrambling. My mind begins to whirl and I become "stark, raving mad," as our eight year old would say (thanks Alice's Adventures in Wonderland).

Today I did a restorative yoga practice. For those of you unaware of this type versus other types, it is pretty much how it sounds. These types of classes are typically with props for support, in a dimmed room, and less intense, with a slow pace. I cannot typically reside in such environment, and, yet, in recent months, I have come to value calm, peace, and the inner space that I personally never thought was enticing. As I lay in supported Supta Baddha Konasana, I let go fully.  This supported, reclined pose, held for more than ten minutes (it seemed) took me to a place of calm. I was fully supported, breathing deeply, and open to release.

This morning I read about the choices we have before going into obsessive thinking. The encouragement of the reading was to build a support before rationalizing. I need to muster the support from my higher Power and my community before I even begin to reason anything out. The support allows for the release. The faith that I will have all that I need to encounter any struggle, any challenge rests in the restorative space of embracing support and love from God and those around me. This is where I find the strength to carry on, even when life seems to throw challenge and dis-ease beyond what I believe I can handle.

Blessings on the Journey!