Through the narrow

 

 “Any place is sacred ground, for it can become a place of encounter with the divine Presence.”
― David Steindl-Rast, A Listening Heart: The Spirituality of Sacred Sensuousness 

 

 It is hard to discern what we need for growth and healing but a necessary engagement.   In my experience, it is often the case that we find growth and healing through a challenge that makes us feel anxious and incapable at first, that tries us in ways that we would not like to be tried, but that gives us a chance to cultivate courage and faith and the energy for great creativity.   

 

Sometimes we have no choice but to face a challenge that has been placed before us like an illness or a loss.  At other times, it is up to us to choose the harder and more difficult path because it is what is necessary for growth.  Figuring out the right amount of challenge and difficulty to take on, how, and when is where discernment comes in.

 

I recently heard Brother David Stiendl-Rast, the beloved Benedictine monk and teacher of gratitude, explain how the origin of the word anxiety, at its root, means to be squeezed through a tight or narrow place, like the birth canal.  Like the birth canal, the tightness prepares us for growth, for something new that was previously beyond our comprehension or capability.  Remembering this can help us to know that the anxiety of a challenge will eventually pass, that the narrow place is moving us towards growth, expansion, and light.  The anxiety itself maybe a sign that we are going in the right direction.

 

To discern next steps, I have learned through yoga practice how to turn to the inner compass for guidance.  I consider where the edge of fear is holding me back since that is often the direction I need to go towards.