Just Take a Step

I attend a yoga conference in one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the world every January. This year was no different. I was able to spend a week in San Francisco - the city by the bay.  The weather was so beautiful, unusually warm for January (i.e. it was 70 degrees some days), and though I've been there so many times before there were always things and places to discover that were new for me. 

The weekend conference is split up into six sessions.  For one of my sessions I selected an acro yoga workshop.  Acro as in acrobatic - where one person is on the bottom as the base and the second person is on top as the flyer - with the feet or the hands of the base supporting the flyer at the hips, hands, back or feet.  We started the workshop walking around the room weaving in and out of other people.  Eventually we were asked to select a partner and stand face to face with our arms up and hands pressed together.  We closed our eyes and were told to have one partner push into the other person's hands.  The reactions were very interesting.

Some people pushed back with as much force as the pusher, trying not to get knocked over. Others simply took a step back or to the side when the force became too much.

So what do you do when the "pressure" gets to be too much?  Do you fight back with all your might?  Do you stop and realize that sometimes the best thing to do is take a step back, to the side or out of the way in some way?  Sometimes the best reaction is not a reaction at all - but merely a reflection.