266 A JOURNEY INTO YIN YOGA
GIFT OF SPACE
Anytime you feel consumed by negativity it’s because you have lost space.
You have become entangled within the twists and turns of life. This is why
your yoga practice is so important. It will provide the gift of space within
your body, mind, and heart. Isn’t this why we feel so good after yoga practice?
The Buddha used the metaphor of salt and water. Imagine that you have a
tablespoon of salt, and the salt represents negativity; if you pour that table-
spoon of salt into a cup of water, then the cup of water becomes polluted
with negativity. However, if you take that same tablespoon of salt and you
pour it into a big, spacious lake, the vastness of the lake easily diffuses the
salt, and the lake remains pure.
Your yin yoga practice brings that spacious quality into your entire being.
You will rarely sweat the small stuff. You will snap at your kids and spouse
less often. This spaciousness will create an opening for the Tao to flow.
How many amazing gifts are you missing out on because you are too busy
trying to get somewhere?
The Tao is all around you. Even in the darkest of hours, the Tao is there
to be unearthed. The Tao and nature and science are all one and the same.
As the nature of the Tao flows, your joy and happiness grow. Joanna Macy,
famed environmentalist and ecologist says, “To be alive in this beautiful,
self-organizing universe—to participate in the dance of life with senses to
perceive it, lungs that breathe it, organs that draw nourishment from it – is a
wonder beyond words” (2003, 75).
Recently, one morning, I went to the beach with my two kids. My daughter
was farther out in the ocean, body surfing. My little dude and I were playing
around on the beach, half in sand, half in the water. Next to us I noticed a
family that had just put their belongings down. The family consisted of an
elderly couple in their late 80s or perhaps even early 90s being supported by
a couple in their 50s or 60s. They didn’t bring any of the typical things you
see people with at the beach: no chairs, umbrellas, blankets, or even a single
towel. The older couple hobbled near us in the water, still wearing their pants
and undershirts. It was obvious they had very little money.
By this point, the family was becoming the object of attention to everyone
on the beach that warm, sunny July day. The old man was permanently bent
over and his knees were locked up. I doubt he had ever done a second of
yoga in his life. Because he was frail and elderly, a part of me was concerned
for his safety as the younger man supported him and they walked into the
water. Sure enough, a wave came in and knocked the old man down. I held
my breath in fear, watching the old man’s expression after the fall. Expecting
him to demand to be dragged to safety, I was surprised when the old man let
out a roar of laughter that spread across the beach. Not only was he lacking
typical beach paraphernalia, but he also didn’t have any teeth.