You Already Know

I went to yoga class this morning. I love yoga class and even on the days when its hard to get there (like today) I ALWAYS feel better afterward. We started the class with a short sitting meditation. The teacher invited us to connect with our inner wisdom and ask ourselves what we needed from class this morning. Since she does this every week, I am familiar with the question and I don't automatically respond with "I don't know". I go with the first thing that pops into my mind and don't analyze it anymore. (ie: "Was that really my inner wisdom or is that what I think I should need?") I also don't question whether its deep or spiritual enough.

I mean, if I am trying to connect with my inner wisdom, wouldn't it be nice if the message was "you need to go to Hawaii for the rest of the winter and swim with the dolphins and eat papaya every day and be naked" or simply "I honor the divine in myself and others." But no, it's usally short and sweet and not really all that profound (maybe that takes a longer and more consistent meditation practice) Today my inner wisdom was telling me "supported bridge pose." A yoga pose that greatly relieved the lower back pain I was sufferring from.

When we complete this opening meditation in class, we tell the teacher and the other students what came to us. The yoga teacher writes it down. This is what she said after we all shared:

"You already know what you need for health, healing, and joy. You have the wisdom inside of you and no one knows what you need more than you do. This more you practice asking, the easier it is for you to connect with the answers. The next step is to verbalize it and TELL OR ASK OTHERS FOR WHAT YOU NEED."

Now this brings me to Stella. As you may know, a toddler is very adept at this practice. She knows what she wants/needs and she is not afraid to say so. She is not afraid to change her mind, get all emotional, ask for help, change her mind again, laugh hysterically and cry in agony all within 30 seconds. She isn't doubting herself, wondering how this is affecting others, or thinking about the future. She is simply in the moment and fully aware that she needs a cookie right now so please hand it over.

Her toddler-esque behavior suddenly seems quite powerful. She doesn't need to be reminded. She already knows.