The Story of Two Astronauts
I was asked by a Teacher Training student to share this , its a story I have shared at Yoga Class and during our Mindfulness & Yoga Teacher Training Courses. It feels even more relevant and potent right now given the “travel” restrictions. Let’s consider these restrictions in new light……
Imagine two astronauts go to the moon, and while they’re there, there’s an accident and their ship can’t taken them back to Earth. They have only enough oxygen for two days. There is no hope of someone coming from Earth in time to rescue them. They have only two days to live.
If you were to ask them at that moment, “what is your deepest wish?” they would answer , “To be back home walking on our beautiful planet Earth.” That would be enough tor them; they wouldn’t want anything else but to be back here – walking on the Earth, enjoying every step, listening to the sounds of nature, or holding the hand of their beloeved while contemplating the moon at night.
Isn’t it great that we have this opportunity here on Earth now!
We need to enjoy walking on this precious, beautiful planet.
Zen Master Linji said, “The miracle is not to walk on water, or fire. The miracle is to walk on earth”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Quite often we can be walking with a loved one on this earth and yet our mind is some place else. Undivided attention feels better for you and them (it feels more whole) When our attention is scattered (our body on one planet our mind on another) we can feel fragmented. We feel it and so to does the person you are with. So Mindfulness Training is a great gift not only to you but to those you love.
Yoga + Mindfulness helps train our concentration to be with our body, to be here now. The hour or two you take on your yoga mat helps us strengthen our ability to live the miracle of walking on earth moment by moment. What a joy it is when it is not taken for granted.
During the past few months being limited with how far we can travel and in some countries being limited with where and how far you can walk , who you can be with (due to Covid 19) , can be a reminder of appreciating the simple things as miracles. Sometimes we forget how lucky we are.
The word “Mindfulness” comes from the Pali word sati which means to “remember”
It is normal for the human mind to forget. It is why Mindfulness is a Practice.
The next time you are walking , know that you are walking (take your mind with you, step by step) enjoy the time you have got, while you are here now. Of course there are many things that will distract us (thoughts about last week, last year, thoughts about the news, thoughts about restrictions) The biggest restriction to your freedom however is having a mind that is some place else. The moment you realise where it is , you can bring it back to being here on earth.
Namaste
Tammy
For more information about our NEW Mindfulness Training format (for those of you who cannot travel) contact us. We are currently enjoying delivering a one month long training program (Mindfulness Level 1) with people from all over , who are enjoying being able to practice Mindfulness with a community , yet in the comfort of their own home. The benefits of this are there is a cost saving on travel, there is also more time to process and practice.
Due to Mindfulness Level 1 Course filling up we may run another program prior to Level 2 being held in November – please express your interest in joining us.
Contact:
support@yoga-nrg.com
0439 418 571