Weekly Letter: Where do I put my hands?

Some of you already know that recently we fostered a puppy for a few weeks and she was recently adopted. This is our third time fostering and we enjoy the process of being a safe place for the dog to go while their new family finds them. I personally enjoy the training piece of it. I like learning the dog’s learning style and what they gravitate to or away from. They all communicate in a similar, but different way and I love learning that about each of them.

The day Ruby was adopted, we made plans after to have dinner with some friends who are also dog people. Levi and I were sharing stories from the last couple of weeks and our friends were gracious in listening and at one point, my husband starts talking about how well I train the dogs.

And it’s as though I’m sitting there with something slimy in my hands and I have nowhere to wipe them. (The slimy thing being the compliment.)

I never know what to do with a compliment and I know I’m not the only one! Do I feign humility, or make a joke (my favorite option) or flag the waiter for a refill?

Someone tell me what to do with my hands!

In our practice, we get guided through placement of body, but no where is there a clear direction of where to put our mind. Many suggestions, many things to consider, but all processes and tools to unwrap our own complexities. How can a system ever be structured to keep up with our varying dynamics?

So here we are, left with our hands in the right spot and our heads somewhere else. Until at some point the process of practice starts to work and the head and the hands start to find each other. Just like learning to communicate with a new pup, we start to train ourselves on how to communicate with ourselves. It doesn’t happen overnight, but when it starts to land, the yoga magic opens you to another way of being and once you see it, there’s no going back.

~Carmen