Photo: Gioia De Antoniis

This is #51 of 108 Ways to Livin’ the Moment. Let’s take back our lives one beautiful, funny and delicious moment at a time!

#51 of 108: Feel The Pain

Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something.

~ William Goldman

Way back in 2001, I took a yoga class from a teacher who urged on her students by clapping.

“Warrior one, c’mon guys in the back!” (Clap! Clap! Clap!)

“Triangle pose! Straighten your leg. Extend your arms isometrically!”

By the way, what the f*ck does that word mean?

“Reverse triangle everyone! Peel your hip back, legs straight, Reach high! C’mon Mike! C’mon Sandra!” (Clap! Clap! Clap!)

Clapping and yoga go together like a strict Catholic mom and Starbutts. That is not a typo. Starbutts.

Photo: punk_rock_baby

Just one clap of the hands during Warrior II sends your yoga soul crashing to the ground like a million Jenga blocks.

It hurts.

~

You may have read the article about the girl with an extremely rare genetic disorder that prevents her from feeling pain. Ashlyn Blocker, 13 years old, has been that way her whole life.

Only a few people in the world have this disorder, and most have died.

For instance, a boy in Lahore, Pakistan had the disorder and on his birthday, he wanted to show off for his friends so he jumped off the first floor roof of his house. He got up, brushed himself off, seemed to be okay but died a day later because of a hemorrhage.

A pain-free existence might sound intriguing but wait until you hear some of the awful experiences Ashlyn unknowingly “endured.”

• >> She reached into a boiling pot of water to retrieve a spoon she had dropped. No pain, but she “mysteriously” saw white scars suddenly appear all over her hand from the burn.
• >> As a two-year-old, she “playfully” put her hand on the muffler of her father’s car. Her father ran over to stop her but when he lifted her hand off the muffler, the skin was seared away.
• >> She was swarmed and bitten over 100 times by fire ants while saying “Bugs! Bugs!”
• >> She ran around on a broken ankle for two days before her parents finally realized something was wrong.

It’s a downright dangerous existence and gives you a deep appreciation for pain as a protector.

But in a strange way, unless you are an HEB (Highly Evolved Being), we all suffer from a related disorder. Why? Because most of us don’t feel the pain of negative thinking.

The yogis will tell you, your thoughts have immense power.

Much like Ashlyn Blocker walking around on a broken ankle, pain free, a negative, nasty thinker effectively breaks the ankles of her soul and is left to hobble through life, pain free, but wondering why everything is so difficult.

So next time you catch yourself in a frenzy of negative thinking, take a moment and do yourself a favor. Inflict a little pain on your wise, yoga soul with a harsh clap of the hands.

Wake up!

Realize now what will take most of humanity another thousand years of evolution to assimilate:

Only she with magnificent thoughts can lead a magnificent life!

~

A wise one said:

“The only Zen you are going to find at the top of a mountain is the Zen you bring up there.”

Photo: Roads Less Traveled Photography

Healing, love, and peace begin at home, not in some faraway retreat destination. On that note, I’m excited to present an entirely new and completely awesome healing experience.

In the heart of winter, we all love to designate a perfect weekend to “whole up” and dive in. For three days in January, I’m going to present an in-home yoga retreat, a live audio and video experience that you will tune into on your computer or mobile device.

If you’re interested, email me at [email protected] and write Bring It Home! in the subject line.

~

Ed: Lynn H.

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