Calloused Fingertips

In the stillness of the quiet, if we listen, we can hear the whisper of the heart giving strength to weakness, courage to fear, hope to despair--Howard Thurman

The more quiet I cultivate in my mind on the path of my practice, the more I am able to hear such whispers and I find that I have no desire to resist their call.

I started guitar lessons and can play a grand total of 3 chords but I have played those chords almost everyday, several times of the day. At times, I just strum the strings, listening and waiting for a tune to rise up.

I liken this to my practice of yoga and all of it's components.

When I first began yoga, I was very asana centered and had little successs with 'quieting' the mind, nor did that matter--I wanted Madonna arms. After years of asana courtship, I began to incorporate breathwork (pranayama) and later still, meditation techniques. These led naturally to pratyahara (inner focus) and a desire to incorporate the yamas and niyamas into my daily life.

And here I am--still deepening the practice, still coming to the mat and learning, opening to those 'off the mat' moments of practice.

So when I strum those strings that I have longed to strum and feel very small and inferior to the task of learning such a awesome skill--I remind myself that not too long ago, I was a slave to my jackrabbit mind, I fell on my face in crow and meditation seemed nice if you were a monk or had such aspirations.

The basics of my guitar practice will unfold into music...I just need to show up.