Two Wings of Awareness

On my trip to Zion last weekend I found a lot of inspiration. There was gratefully no cell service in the park which allowed all of us to be very present with the incredible natural beauty that surrounded us. That truly is a practice in mindfulness… a single focus in the moment.  Along the way, some of the hiking and biking was challenging. What I witnessed was a true sense of everyone looking out for each other. A true practice in compassion.

These observations reminded me of the Two Wings of Awareness. A bird needs two wings in order to fly. We do as well. Our two wings are MINDFULNESS & COMPASSION. We need a combination of both mindfulness and compassion to find true joy; to fly.  

So, we practiced connecting to both of those wings on the mat this week. We were mindful of what we noticed in the body and then we practiced being compassionate. I myself have had to practice this quite a bit in the last few weeks. I have had a nagging injury and it has required self-compassion. Instead of focusing on the pain and restriction, I am currently experiencing,  I am focused (most of the time) on both the practice of compassion and gratitude for all of the times my body has been there for me & the mindful belief that with patience and compassion it will be there for me again soon. We need both wings in order to fly.