vulnerability

Guess I should put the theme of my New Year's intentions out there: to be more vulnerable.
Again, rather fuzzy, I know. But my translation of this looks something like:
- trying new things even if/when there is the risk of failing at them
- letting go of some things (the things that feel safe because they are what I know) in order to let in new things
- tossing aside some of the "rules" I've set in my life and listening to my gut...maybe this is living with my heart instead of letting my head take over (note: it ALWAYS feels better to me to live with my heart but I have an inner voice that always speaks in an "outside voice" volume level that sometimes chimes in and is awfully persuasive...)
- being more willing to share, to open my mouth, to speak my mind, and to spread my love
I'm not exactly sure what this looks like in "real life" but I think this image in this blog pretty much sums up why I'm choosing it.
There's a pose in yoga that we sometimes do called the camel pose. I once had a yoga teacher caution us that we might feel physically nauseous in this pose because it exposes your heart so much. He went on to say that we spend so much of our days hunched over a computer, behind the wheel of a car, even walking with our shoulders scrunched in...so much that we're constantly protecting our hearts and not necessarily opening them up to the world. I really resonated with this description. Like so many of us, out of fear of getting hurt or rejected or being judged, I do a really good job...maybe too good of a job...of protecting my heart. It doesn't mean that I don't love fully or let people in, it just means that I can hold back and not live fully. Intrigued, I looked up a little more about camel pose. Here are some little bits of information about it:
- it's an intense back bend and a great heart opener (look at the picture!)
- it represents the ability to accomplish the impossible and to go through life's challenges with ease
- practicing camel pose can help you express your feelings and find compassion toward others
So maybe I'm going to become the vulnerable camel this year?!
Who knows.
I'm excited to see.