Gradualness

“A new moon teaches gradualness and deliberation, and how one gives birth to oneself slowly. Patience with small details makes perfect a large work, like the universe. What nine months of attention does for an embryo forty early mornings alone will do for your gradually growing wholeness.”

— Rumi

Could Rumi have imagined how nutritive such words would be halfway around the world, nearly a millennium away? (Probably, yes, he could.) These words, these concepts, this invitation runs deep and true. Right to the essential center of our silky souls, where not even the 24-hour news cycle, the never-ending to-do list, the iPhone, the fitbit, the juice cleanse, or the craziest of New Year’s resolution could touch it.

All cliches about starting a yoga studio blog post with a Rumi quote aside, I am here to extend my own invitation to at least stop and consider -- for however many moments you can spare -- this word: “gradualness.” I won’t waste the roughly eight seconds of attention I may have from you on the litany of ways in which we are currently accustomed to instant gratification, fast results, answers, and information.

Because I feel you.

It was about 8 months into my “new life” -- my transition from a corporate attorney in “big law” to a yoga teacher, writer, human, something… in what I called my “big life, big love.” I was on a retreat with one of my dear teachers, high in the mountains of New Mexico, sitting on the expansive, open porch, looking out on the even more expansive, open horizon beyond, lamenting about how I hadn’t “figured things out by now.”

My teacher told me -- the former overachiever who was still letting the A++++ tendencies seep out of her body -- “be patient.” Rumi’s patience was never one of my natural or apparent virtues. But here I am today, nearly two years after leaving the “big” job. I haven’t yet written the novel (or trashy lawyer romance, I can’t yet decide), or maintained a regular blogging “career,” or opened my own studio, or amassed a million Instagram followers (or dollars, for that matter). But today, reading and understanding words like “how one gives birth to oneself slowly” gives me more satisfaction than checking the box, getting the degree, or landing the job ever did.

I’m all for starting the new year intentionally. Hell, make as many resolutions as you’d like. But I’m in it for the slow unfold of this story.

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Catherine teaches in the prana vinyasa style of yoga, shaping her yoga offerings like her writing, like her life ~ slow, gentle, gradual, and restorative.

You can find her at Flow Yoga Center for Gentle Flow on Wednesdays at 12:30pm, Yin Restorative on Thursdays at 5:15pm, Vinyasa Flow 1.5 on Fridays at 4:15pm, Gentle Flow on Saturdays at 10:45am, leading Yoga Fundamentals series on Saturdays at 12:30pm and at seasonal workshops & trainings.

Catherine also leads Flow’s corporate & private wellness programs and would love to help you bring wellness into your workplace & home. You can also join her on the road at workshops all over the globe or find her writing online at samandcatherine.com and tribequarterly.com.

New Year Resolutions

What do you resolve to do in the new year?

Happy New Year Yogis!  For the New Year, we asked a panel of our dear teachers how they handle resolutions. Here is a collection of their answers below......enjoy!

Cory: Meditate more.

Marion: Be present in every moment.

Ahmed: My personal goal is to absorb as much of each moment as I can.

Jonathan: Dropbacks.

Joan: May our vision for 2016 be in High Resolution!

Caroline: To find more opportunties to be of service.

Jen D.: Shift out of my head to be more present so I can show up for my in a much more meaningful and attentive way. I am hoping to move away from the state of constant rehashing and anticipating, worrying and judging!

Mimi: My resolution is to move more in my yoga practice and fitness routine!

Debra: More space for my family, less procrastinating on the hard stuff, more love, more kindness and more sharing!

Brittanie: I don't do resolutions. But I happen to know that 2016 is going to be amazing.

Linda: Instead of resolutions, I do a word. This year it is "Rooted".

Anglea: Getting into Nature more!

Susie: My hope for 2016 is to find more time to be in nature, even in the city. I recently went on a hike and man, what a great reset button!

Adam: My resolution is to live more simply!

Leah: Gave up the resolutions a few years ago, although was thinking this year that I need to spend less time checking social media and clicking through to silly reading and instead use that time to do things that bring me joy, bring me relaxation, or help me learn something new or be inspired.

Aqeel: I have no resolution but a few years back I made a decision to use every experience as a means for Self-realization. With guidance, support, and perseverance I have faith in that process.

Victoria: To practice being present in each moment, and to continually practice listening and speaking from a place of compassion and complete connection.

Todd: I don't have any resolutions, specifically. For me, a lot of things I continue to work on all come from wanting to cultivate compassion by living with compassion. Some days I do okay, while others...

Gail: No resolutions, gave them up years ago . . . but I continue to strive for more patience, understanding, empathy! (coming and going)

Shree: I attended Deepak Chopra's Retreat recently and my resolution for 2016 is "healing the heart of my students".

Clare: My intention this year is to be brave, wise, loving, and kind. I'm gonna need it for the year ahead of me.

Monica: My word of the year is "aligned," and I hope to cook or bake 1 new recipe per week