Postures of the Heart: Approaching Life with a Spirit of Inquiry

What if we approached the Coronavirus, like we approach any challenging posture that we attempt on our yoga mats, with a spirit of inquiry? Is it possible that if we move into this unprecedented time in our lives with curious observations and teachable hearts, that there might be the potential for tremendous healing in the midst of a pandemic?

Curious? Let me explain. 

As an instructor of yoga, one of my goals is to help my students to develop a spirit of inquiry and the skill of watchfulness. The practice of yoga teaches us how to observe, and postures can be used as tools to help us to see and to awaken us to inner landscapes which so often go unnoticed. 

Postures of the body can help us to become aware of the subconscious patterns that we are carrying. For instance, let’s say I were to ask you to bring your awareness to your posture right now.  Physically, you may notice where your body is making contact with your support, the position of your body and spine, or even which muscles feel relaxed and which ones feel tense. If I asked you to become aware of your mind, you might note your thoughts about these bodily sensations, your response to the straightening of your spine, or even your reaction to being  asked to participate in this exercise of watchfulness! If I asked you to bring your awareness to your spirit, you may notice the state of your heart, or whether you are aware of God’s presence and activity in and around you.

Postures help us to see what is happening below the surface.

Postures are great revealers. They help us to pull back the veil in order to see what lies beyond. When you move into a posture and encounter tightness in your muscles, it is not the posture that is making your muscles tense. The tension was already there. The posture is merely revealing what was already in existence. 

While the skill of inward observation is important in a postural yoga practice, it might be even more valuable as we step off of our mats in order to live out our yoga. When we move back into our lives, our homes, workplaces, and relationships, we may find ourselves in some challenging “postures” of life. These also reveal important information to us.

For example, during a difficult conversation with a family member, I might notice the experience of anger, frustration, or impatience. When I approach these emotions with watchfulness and the spirit of inquiry, I often find that my emotions reveal something deeper. Maybe I feel under attack or hurt, maybe I am carrying a grudge, or maybe I don’t feel appreciated, supported, or understood. Whatever it may be, what I have come to realize is that the conversation is not the cause of my emotions, more likely the conversation is putting my heart in a challenging posture, and I am now able to see the tension that was already there.

The challenging postures in our lives can be some of our greatest teachers. 

In these days of Coronavirus, social distancing, and quarantine, we find ourselves in peculiar life circumstances. This pandemic has invited the hearts of people across the world to enter into perhaps some of the most challenging “postures” of our time. For most of us, we have never been in a posture of stillness to this extreme. Additionally, we may find ourselves in “postures'' of unemployment, of sickness, financial distress, uncertainty about the future, conflict in the home, overcrowded living-quarters, or of relationship loss. 

During challenging postures of the heart, asking questions can be a useful tool for Spiritual growth.

By engaging the circumstances in our lives with the skill of watchfulness and the spirit of inquiry, we may find that these situations have placed our hearts in challenging “postures” which have the potential to reveal important information to us. During these times, we may find it helpful to ask ourselves a question or two  such as:

What am I feeling? Why?

How is this affecting my body? mind? heart?

Are my feelings directly proportional to my experiences? 

What lies beyond my feelings? 

In time, as we dig a little deeper to discover the spiritual roots of our emotions, we may ask:

Am I trusting in God?

What is my true identity? My purpose? My foundation?

Where am I being invited to let go and soften my grip? What can I surrender?

Am I aware of the underlying rhythms of Grace holding me? 

How am I being invited to see this situation in light of God’s promises?

As a follower of Christ, these practices of watchfulness and their subsequent revelations have been a tremendous lesson in understanding my faith and an useful tool for my spiritual growth. The “postures” of my life’s circumstances invite me to push the veil aside, so that I have a clear view of the underlying patterns in my heart. At once, I recognize my inability to see things clearly, the way that God sees things, and my inability to love without condition, the way that God loves me. No matter how hard I might try, I am not able to change my perceptions, feelings, and emotions. I cannot talk myself out of my experiences. I cannot change my own heart. 

The good news is that Jesus reminds me that I need not despair over what I find beyond the veil, rather, I can throw myself all the more fully into the loving arms of my God who is ever drawing me near with a heart to restore.  

When I come to my Heavenly Father acknowledging these things with earnest intentions, He does the work that only He can do. He begins to transform me; softening me by his grace, healing me with his Love, and ministering to my soul.  My Heavenly Father gives me new eyes to see the situation afresh, and slowly rearranges my heart in order to love through his heart. 

May this time of “pandemic” be a time of tremendous healing for the people of God as we allow our Heavenly Father to reorder and realign our hearts and lives and in doing so, may we find ourselves flourishing in the midst of adversity.