This is a story I wrote and put aside last year. But I noticed myself talking about this concept several times this week. It made me go look for this and post it again. It felt so relevant this week.
This is my left hand…..Why am I showing you a picture of my left hand?
It’s not really my left hand, but my nails I want you to see.
For many years I would try to hide my hands (sort of) because I don’t have pretty, delicate hands. They are hardworking hands with rough dry skin and crumbling nails.
This weekend I noticed my nails had grown and thought it would be nice to put some polish on them Something I haven’t done since I was a teenager.
What a mindful exercise; the ritual of prepping and polishing, It was a lovely meditation. And then the truthbomb hit me.
This winter I started taking care of my hands with loving tenderness. without even making a conscious decision about it. Over the spring I noticed my hands more and recognised all the hard work they have done over the years. Carrying, lifting, washing, hammering, digging. Being crushed under dumbbells’ and barbells in the gym. Slammed in doors because I was in a hurry. Having one of my horse step on my hand while I was taking care of his hooves. And the myriad of other abuses I put them through because I couldn’t/wouldn’t slow down. After all they were already ugly, so why care?
In yoga, we study the yamas and niyamas They really form the foundation of our whole practice, and honouring these ethics as we progress along.
Niyama’ often translates as ‘positive duties’ or ‘observances’, and are thought of as recommended habits for healthy living and ‘spiritual existence’. They’re traditionally thought of as practices concerned with ourselves, although of course we can think of them as affecting the outside world as well.
The Yamas traditionally guide us towards practices concerned with the world around us, but often we can take them as a guide of how to act towards ourselves too.
Usually you will see the first yama as Ahimsa (non-harming or non-violence in thought, word and deed) In this sense, we’re talking about non-violence in all aspects of life. When we act with ‘Ahimsa’ in mind, this means not physically harming others, ourselves, or nature; not thinking negative thoughts about others or ourselves; and making sure that what we do and how we do it is done in harmony, rather than harm.
It has taken me a long time, many years, of studying, seeing this guidance over and over again before I finally understood and put it into practice.
When I stopped seeing my hands in such negative terms, and treating them as something that deserved loving attention, they responded.
