Building a Foundation for Integrity
Davida 8/28/23
I saw the attached clip (below) of the little girl responding to her mother asking what is confidence and integrity. She answers like a champ. It impressed me that this young child is learning to lay the foundation of being a sound wholesome being.
Yoga helps us build confidence and integrity every time we come to the mat or sit in stillness and listen to our bodies and thoughts. It’s called Svadhyaya. Through observation, enquiry, deep listening and reflection we can begin to know our true nature.
It’s not easy to look at yourself. In some of my fitness classes people purposefully hide in the back row to avoid seeing themselves. Then how can you know if your body is in the right form or following the instruction correctly? I know some people don’t like being alone and hearing their own thoughts or feeling their bodies. Then how can you understand where the tension or stress lies and what helps it to ease?
Without a sense of our strengths and weakness we can easily be pulled in any direction with the gust of the wind. If we don’t have foundational integrity, it’s difficult to display moral integrity when the wheels of life are pulling us along.
I consider myself a person of integrity. Since I’m always talking and teaching about yoga philosophy it has allowed me to take a deep dive into exploring the kind of person I am and how I work.
When the South Suburban Parks Department sent an email telling me to stop teaching yoga at Linksview Park, I thought about ignoring it. After all, a month had passed before I even saw the email and no one had come make me stop. My guess is it’s probably hard to enforce.
One little voice in my head told me to go ahead and keep doing it. While the larger moral authoritative voice said, no you’ll have to follow the rules. I dislike when others don’t. I pride myself on not being a hypocrite.
So, even though it may be true that no one is looking, I will stop teaching yoga at Linksview this week (last day Saturday 9/2). The parks department says I must have insurance and buy a permit (minimum $200), that will only be granted if it doesn’t conflict with a time sports teams are using the park. (Even though we meet in a separate, secluded, and little used area).
I’m learning to look at obstacles and challenges like this as opportunities. Maybe this will encourage me to return next summer with a bigger and better plan to teach yoga in the park. I do love having yoga outside and grateful for the connections I’ve made to my neighbors and news friends. Thank you to those who’ve joined. Namaste!
P.S. I’ll teach yin yoga on Tuesday 5:30PM for the month of September on the lawn at Modern Brew starting next week. Join me and we can toast the ending of summer after our practice.
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A really fun person!
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