Small adjustments

Small adjustments can make big differences. I was reminded of this over the past weekend in two yoga workshops I attended. Each workshop was 3 hours long. Lisa, our teacher, gently and slowly guided us through the intricacies of different poses, revealing little “secrets” to go deeper correctly and without stress or strain. On Sunday, we did the camel pose. This is the pose where you are up on your knees and do a backbend until your hands touch your ankles. Previously, I had always struggled to get into this pose, bending back and leaning first to one side, then the other with my fingers scratching around in search of my ankles. When I finally found the pose, I would be happy, but somehow knew that I was expending too much effort to get there. In the Sunday workshop there was this huge collective gasp from the class when we followed Lisa’s instructions and made just one small adjustment – we all easily and gracefully flowed back and our hands magically floated to our ankles! My heart blossomed throughout the entire sequence, and it felt right.

Isn’t this the way it is in our lives as well? Sometimes, it’s not about the huge changes. Yes, those are important. But many times, it’s the small adjustments that have huge impact. And mostly, it’s the small adjustments that allow us to live our lives in ease and grace, going with the flow of life and allowing our hearts to open and blossom. Sometimes we take on big changes and it’s as if they are too much for us to handle and we sabotage ourselves. This is where small adjustments make all the difference. For example, I love coffee. I drink it throughout the day. I rejoice whenever I read a new report that says that coffee is good for you. Yet I know that perhaps I drink just a little too much. I have tried to cut it out entirely, but have always gone back after a few days or weeks. I just enjoy my coffee. Now, here’s the small adjustment: switch to a demitasse cup rather than a mug! This will automatically cup my consumption by half or even two thirds – effortlessly and easily, and I will still be able to sip my coffee throughout the day!

Today – think about a small adjustment you can take that will make a big difference in your life. Then, just do it, today. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Just make a small adjustment today and watch the magic of your life unfold with ease and grace, as it did in my yoga class on Monday when we did the camel pose – and once again, I melted into it effortlessly and easily.