Trust We Must

This month's topic is TRUST. It feels appropriate with everything that is happening in this great nation of ours that we consider the concept of trust.

Whether it is trusting that our new president can make good on his promises, that the economy will get better (eventually), that our own finances will make it through, and/or trusting that we can stop and hopefully reverse global warming. From big issues like these to small everyday experiences, life gives us opportunities to practice trust.

In the practice of yoga, trust is important. You have to trust that your body can do the pose, and in some cases trust that you can hold and relax into the pose for the length of time you're being instructed. Balance poses and inversions provide opportunities for building trust both in body and mind. Inversions are shoulder stands and hand stands poses where you basically put the body upside down.

Why trust? Because trust helps build relationships within ourselves and with others. When we are able to place faith in ourselves or others we are able to live harmoniously, accomplish tasks, set big goals, and allow others to support us along the way. This quote by author Foster C. Mcclellan speaks to this very point:

Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement. -- Foster C. Mcclellan

I find for myself that trust and gratitude work hand in hand. When I allow myself to trust, especially when I am anxious about an outcome, I notice that shortly after the outcome has come to fruition I am filled with gratitude.

Perhaps as Thanksgiving approaches we can practice trust in knowing our families will get along, that meal plans will work out just fine, and that in the end there will be much to be grateful for.