Falling

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Falling

It seems that all of us have had the experience of

failure, or disappointment, or falling in our lives.

This experience of falling is, of course, not a

pleasant one. It can challenge our self –confidence,

our self – esteem, and our feeling that we are in

control.

It can make us feel inadequate or inferior, not up to

the task in front of us, or not able to do what is

expected of us, or we expect of ourselves.

It can confuse us as we strive in an honest and

sincere way for something that is worthwhile and noble

to pursue.

It may even humiliate us and be so intense that it

leaves us in a state of despair and creates a lifelong

scar and permanent change in one’s perception of

oneself and others.

We also do not like to be made to feel that we are

falling, as can be done when another ridicules us to

our face or behind our back, and then we hear about it

from an involved or third person.

Falling can be so subtle, that it may be really just a

subtle manifestation of our own anxiety and anxious

feelings and imaginations.

Sometimes our feeling of falling is nothing more then

a reflection of our desires in life, thinking we

should be this way, we should or should have achieved

this already, and we should act and feel a certain way

in any particular experience, interaction or

situation.

Whenever we fall physically on the street, many times

we will instinctively  look up, and see if anyone has

seen us, and might be laughing at us.

We do not want to feel foolish or feel like someone is

laughing at us because of our clumsiness.

Usually, our physical clumsiness is a result of

awkwardness and stiffness with our body, and a lack of

mindfulness, balance, steadiness and concentration.

Other ways of falling may be more subtle, in the

privacy of our house.

It may be in excessive drinking or the habitual abuse

of drugs, or having an extra piece of chocolate cake

after dinner.

It may be in how we talk to another, in a moment of

fatigue, boredom, anger or impatience.

It may be when we know we should do something, and we

put it off, or ignore it.

There is really nothing to be ashamed of in falling as

it is and has been part of the life experience for all

human beings.

But we have to pick ourselves up, or at least know how

to pick up ourselves and understand that there are

ways, means and people available that will assist us

in this process.

Sometimes when we fall, It is made more difficult to

accept and understand by our conditioning and the

complexities of how we perceive the life experience

should be lived and is understood through those

aspects of the culture and society that we are exposed

to.

This includes movies, television, music, and

newspapers, in addition to our co – workers, friends

and families.

One sometimes wonders if one can stay reasonably still

and balanced when standing, will that affect them in

such a manner mentally, that is makes them less likely

to fall in some way mentally, emotionally, or

behaviorally?

Practitioners of Yoga, especially Hatha Yoga, would

answer a resounding â€yes†to this.

In the teaching and practice of Hatha Yoga, we

sometimes make use of props to assist us in developing

flexibility or performing a posture.

It may be a pillow, cushion, wood block, post, chair

or the wall.

There have been special straps and apparatuses

especially made and built to help bring about the

flexibility and performance in some postures.

The wall seems to be very effective as there is always

one available, and it is usually sturdy and strong.

A wall can be used by a number of practitioners at one

time and it does not require the laying out of any

special equipment.

All the students or practitioners have to do is go to

it.

The wall can keep us from falling when we are trying

to develop both the strength and balance necessary to

simple one – legged postures such as the tree and the

eagle.

While we position the body and legs accordingly, we

can rest the supporting arm and hand on the wall, and

then when we feel a degree of stability and balance,

lowering the supporting arm, so we are standing

freely, and then configure the arms as required by the

posture, above the head and palms together if we are

in the tree pose, or wrapped around each other and

intertwined if we are in the eagle posture.

If we have any problems, we can quickly get our

supporting arm back to the wall, so we can re -

achieve the balance and stability we need to continue

holding the posture.

The wall is being used to help us achieve balance and

strength.

Individuals at times, tend to think too much of

themselves, or expect too much of themselves.

Everyone fell the first time they walked.

Some of us still fall now. There is nothing to be

ashamed of.

The wall can assist us in doing these one – legged

postures.

What about the falling in life that we mentioned

before.

Well, hopefully, there should be people in our life

and family that we can go to that will assist us, so

we do not fall, or fall frequently, or when and if we

do fall, they can help us up again, and help us learn

from our errors.

Sadly, this is not always the case.

If our way of falling is through drugs and drinks,

there are organizations and groups available that will

assist us, such as alcoholics or narcotics anonymous.

The teachings that we are exposed to in our study and

practice of Yoga or Buddhism are also there to keep us

from falling, or assist us in not coming to a state

where we fall again.

In Buddhism, the teachings are frequently referred to

as being a “refugeâ€.

Refuge here does not mean a place to go and hide in

fear and anxiety, and lick our wounds.

It means that it is a source of the strength and

guidance to move forward with mindfulness and wisdom.

The wall can assist us in not falling as we develop

strength and balance in the supporting leg and the

mind and body when we are doing one – legged postures.

The teachings assist us in the same manner, giving us

the understanding and wisdom, marked by strength and

balance, to accept our life experiences and struggles

from a new perspective.

Ó2003 C. Kimbrough