i was fortunate enough to attend an online yoga class recently (www.charlottewattshealth.co.uk).
the teacher, a deep yogini of many years of practice, said something that resonated deeply as we ‘entered’ the online space. “arriving is a continual process..a process of acceptance”.what i took from those simple words echoed what i am learning from my ageing process. i am constantly arriving into each moment, each breath, each aspect of who i am, each step of unfolding.
and each ‘each’ is a lesson in acceptance as i become more deeply aware of what ageing means to, and for, me.my physical self changes almost daily…skin, hair, waistline, muscles, joints, digestion. my mental self also experiences continual shifting…my capacity to respond to shifts in information, my memory, my ability to concentrate and focus, my organisational skill. finding acceptance of these changes is often challenging, difficult and even painful. other times the acceptance flow with grace and ease.
my emotional self also experiences change with the passing of days and hours and minutes. deep love, grief, with its accompanying tears, irritation (and sometimes incandescent anger), unimaginable joy, bubbles of laughter at the silliest events. each of these shifts in my emotional landscape asks me to inquire and accept them as they flow like a river in my heart.
alongside all of these changes, something remains…steady, true, unerring. the connection to Spirit, and the deepening of that connection, grows with each passing day. sometimes this growth is imperceptible, known to me only in retrospect. other times, there is a growth spurt, much like my physical self experienced many decades ago. suddenly there is an insight or a perception that is new and enlightening.i never know what these changes might be, or when and how they might arrive. it is my commitment to awaken to their arrival. i only know that they are part of the mystery of elderhood.arrival into, and acceptance, of each one is vital, essential.