A Sense of Curiosity

I read a quote from a book by Pema Chodron last week, and it has been echoing in my head ever since. In her book No Time to Lose, the Buddhist teacher writes the following: "We can put our whole heart into whatever we do; but if we freeze our attitude into either for or against, we're setting ourselves up for stress. Instead, we could just go forward with curiosity, wondering where this experiment will lead."

I keep thinking about this quote, and I've discussed it with several friends over the past week. It's a pretty simple sentiment; one that has surely been expressed before in a hundred different ways. Yet there was something about the word curiosity that stopped me in my tracks. It was so playful and approachable, like it came straight from the mouth of Winnie the Pooh. What would it be like to approach my life with more curiosity and less expectation about the things I want?

This curious approach blends perfectly with the structure that has been established for the yoga school I am enrolled in, and it pairs excellently with yoga practice itself. I am willing to bet that anyone who practices yoga would be able to tell you what their least favorite pose is. I don't like parsva utkatasana, which is when you sit back like you are in a chair and then twist your upper body to one side or the other. I am awkward in this posture. I always feel scrunched in the spine instead of feeling anything resembling length, and my thighs start burning within moments of assuming the pose. Whenever a teacher calls it out, my mind immediately starts along this train of thought. It's not surprising then that I automatically assume a scrunched posture and feel weak in the legs. I have the expectation that I'm going to have an uncomfortable experience.

What if I approached the pose with curiosity? What if I decided to see what it feels like today–in this moment–to try parsva utkatasana? Would my experience be different? What if I approached my whole practice with this inquisitiveness? This attitude is fostered by the amazing teachers in my training program, and I have already observed the benefits to my practice. When I let go of the expectation of creating the perfect shape, I am able to naturally experience the effects of slight realignments, changes in weight distribution, or variations in my breath. And I also have more fun with my practice, as I experiment and play with the poses without rigid expectations for myself.  

This attitude is also extremely helpful off of my mat. In fact, that is where I have felt the strongest impact over the past week. What if I approached each day with curiosity and an openness to where it might take me? Instead of clinging to what I want to happen in the future, what if I gave more of my attention to the present? It's such a simple idea, but it has radically changed my perspective. I'm trying to be curious about each moment instead of fighting it, and the result is a more peaceful mind.