Flying Above Your Fears | iHanuman

iHanuman

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Flying Above Your Fears

At a recent yoga retreat I was presented with a unique opportunity to fly on a trapeze! I remembered that people at the end of their lives most regretted not taking more risks... So, on the appointed day, 11 other yogis and I headed out for our adventure. After a short practice on a trapeze only 5 feet above ground we graduated to the real experience.
Peter, the trapeze artist in charge, emphasized that we could come down at any time. One woman burst into tears on reaching the platform and another decided to come down after starting the first swing. When my turn came I climbed the narrow ladder and found myself standing on a platform the size of a sticky mat, 30 feet above the ground.
Our instructions were to reach out and grab the trapeze bar with one hand while holding on to the support structure with the other, and then to let go of the support and hold the trapeze with both hands. At this point we were leaning out beyond the edge of the platform with a 70-year old former aerialist holding us on the platform by the waist. The instructions were to lift the bar to shoulder height at the command of "ready" and to jump off at the command of "hep".
At the apex of the first swing we were to pull our knees up through our arms and over the bar. At the apex of the next swing we were to let go with our hands and swing from our knees. On the next swing we were to bring our hands back up to the bar. We were then to take our legs out and swing from our hands. At the end we did a back flip into the net.
We were harnessed to a safety belt and we had a safety net under us. Nevertheless, my adrenaline was surging and found myself wondering why I was paying money to do this! I took a deep breath and jumped off the platform on command, but when I got to the apex of the first swing I was holding on for dear life and not ready to do anything else! The ground crew shouted up encouragement and on the third swing I was able to bring my legs through and put my knees over the bar. The next command was "Let go!" at the apex of the next swing. I was too fearful to consider that option, so I took several swings with my hands gripped tightly around the trapeze bar. Finally, with more encouragement I was able to let go with my hands and swing from my knees.
On our third turn, Peter swung from the other trapeze. At the apex of the swing hanging by our knees he would reach out and grab our forearms and yell "Gotcha!" when he had a secure hold. At that time we were to straighten our legs to release and swing through the air holding his forearms. Well ... I had not been able to do the actions on command the first two times and the only way to do the catch was to do everything precisely so the timing would work.
As I stood on the platform for my final turn I realized that I really wanted to make "the catch". Since I did not anticipate doing the trapeze again in this lifetime, I knew this would be my only opportunity! I closed my eyes and asked for Grace to help me so I could make the catch. I trusted that I was safe ... all I had to do was to listen and follow the commands from Peter and the ground crew.
I surrendered to Grace and jumped off the platform intent on listening for each command. Somehow I was able to do each on time and when I heard the words "Gotcha!" I straightened my legs and got the thrill of a lifetime swinging through the air! I was totally buzzed for days afterward! Energy poured through me and I felt 20 years younger!
The combination of appropriate self-effort, pacing myself to do progressively what I could manage, and then surrendering to Grace allowed me to go to a place I had never imagined! The trapeze experience was so yogic.... yoga poses can challenge us, usually more gradually, to go to a place where we fly above our fears. And after my trapeze experience I've been inspired to explore some new yoga poses that have always seemed "beyond me". When we do this we discover we are capable of more that we thought. We soar to new heights both on and off the mat! Come join us for a fabulous experience of self-discovery!

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