A month ago, I started wearing aligners to straighten my teeth, and while the process has been nothing short of uncomfortable, surprisingly, this process has got many similarities to a meditation or yoga practice
Sitting on the chair at the Orthodontist's, my lips being pulled out as the dentist holds my mouth wide open. My dry autumn lips feeling the strain of being stretched to their max...
Side note: Did you know that dehydrated tissues are much more prone to discomfort than hydrated ones? Not only external tissue such as the skin but also internal; fascia, muscles, tendons. If you're moving, exercising, hydrating and resting, you are good!
The first round of aligners is fitted. There are 20 aligners in total, each to be worn for around a week (if it all goes well), this is how long it takes for the teeth to shift when there's a healthy amount of pressure applied consistently in a particular direction.
Now, if I was to try to fit in aligner number 20 at the time I'm meant to wear number 1, , there's no way it will fit. But if I wear number one consistently, then move to number 2, followed by number 3, etc. In roughly 20 weeks, I will eventually get to number 20.
Aligner / step 1 is the starting point
Aligner / step 10 is half-way there
Aligner / step 20 is the end result
I cannot make my current teeth fit in the final aligner yet, and this is no different to the necessary stages in our lives/yoga/meditation journey, yet at times, we may want to skip the challenging steps that take us where we want to be.
It could be that I'm doing a yoga posture and pushing to look a certain way, comparing myself to others or to what I was able to do in the past, I may force myself into an asana trying to fit into a mould of what my mind thinks will give me satisfaction (the idealised outcome of step 20)
Similarly, I may be trying to meditate or feel relaxed but I'm also going through a conflicting emotion (sadness, confusion, anger, disillusionment, grief, inadequacy, etc.) and I just want to be done with it, so I can cross over to the other side of the upset when I feel great again.
Or perhaps, my body is experiencing pain/injury/disease and I'm unwilling to accept the current situation so I either try to continue with life as if nothing is happening or I refuse to do the work (wear the aligners) because it is just too uncomfortable!
The thing here is that unless I acknowledge where I am, I can take no steps towards where I want to be. Currently, I'm in step/aligner 5. It is not always easy, but this is where I am. The process I am going through is shaping me in ways that may or might not be visible , though this doesn't mean shifts aren't happening.
Just like when I do yoga, or sit in meditation, similar to wearing the aligners, I am creating a constant pressure and influence over not only my body, but particularly over my mind which will naturally create thoughts, sometimes pleasant, sometimes unpleasant. Overtime, the thoughts will still be there, but the way they are received will be different. This reveals the changes that have happened under the surface.
It's not the final stage that brings the desired results, outcome. It is what we have done in the process/with the time that lead us there.
My view is that, if I can learn a little bit from the tough circumstances I go through (even if I'm connecting the aligners as a metaphor), the person I'll be when I get to the 'final' result is going to be essential.
If my goal is to be able to do a particular posture, to feel peace, to meditate daily, to overcome a particular challenge, to be able to self regulate or anything else, then, I'll trust that right where I am is preparing me in more ways that I can imagine for when I get there.
I may not be able to see the big changes on a day-to-day basis, but I know that things are certainly more bearable that on day/aligner 1. The resiliency, will power, adaptability, commitment and okayness that this process has given me is as valuable as what the culminating end will bring. This 'bear-ability' cannot be cultivated going from stage 1 straight intro stage 20, it can only be developed in the step by step process.
I might sit in meditation with an active mind or still be unable to touch my toes with straight legs in a forward fold, or feel my heart deeply affected by the waves of life, but now there's something within me that is a little bit more easeful or OK than it was on step 1. This reflects that you have been growing internally, that something has marinated inside of you that allows you to not be at war with what is as much, which shows that all the steps you have taken thus far, have been as significant as the end result.
Once I acknowledge, and dare to say honour the Here; where I am (as I am)
can I enjoy the process that is gradually (no matter how slowly or fast) taking me tHere.
It is not time that heals but what you do, who you BE/come with or in that time
Writing prompts:
Do you have a vision of your own goal/outcome/result/'step 20' ? what is it?
(Maybe it is when you or someone you love feel/s better or heal/s, when you are not stressed anymore, when you have the answer to something, when things with your family get better, when your partner understands you, when you fix x, y or z, or it could simply be your next holiday, work promotion, etc.)
Often, we are not so much looking for the 'thing we think we want' as much as longing for the emotion/feeling we think that it will bring when fulfilled. A nice question to ask is:
When you accomplish, fulfil or realise that, how will you feel?
We can use my example, I'm wearing this aligners that will make my teeth straight. Once this happens, I will feel a little bit more confident with how I look, this will improve my self-esteem. And beneath that, there's a longing for love and acceptance.
Final question, how can you cultivate this feeling on a day-to-day basis?
My example would be to look after the health of my body, mind and emotions, to be kind to all parts of my especially my scars.
No matter how exciting the end result may seem, by bringing a real quality of BEING in all the doings, can we truly enjoy when the final step is reached =) <3
Comments