Limitations

My yoga instructor is amazing.  I don't get to yoga enough, but when I do, my yoga instructor, although she is super cooky and makes really funny comments all through out, she always sends me home with a short statement that resonates in my mind and helps me grow, change, and look at things a bit differently.  It's amazing and I am always so grateful.  Her statement this week was "approach your limitations with compassion".  

I've been reflecting on this since Wednesday night and so much has come to mind.  Compassion in regards to oneself sounds so peaceful, so wonderful...I, so it seems, do not have a lot of compassion for myself. My husband constantly reminds me..."give yourself some credit!"  I am, or at least have been in the past, so hard on myself mostly because I want to do so much and I usually can't do it all.  I have always wanted to do a lot, and still do, so when I think about limitation, frustration comes to mind rather than compassion.

Like I said, I want to do a lot, but more importantly, I want to be a lot to many people.  When I can't do what I want, I get frustrated. Yes, reading that statement sounds kind of childish, doesn't  it?  It's so true though.  We are all limited in a variety of ways, whether it is our job in the work place or at home, whether it is pregnancy or an injury, whether it is money or just our preferences, we are all limited by something that prevents us from doing something else that we would like to do.  I know this is true, yet I resist it. The thought of having compassion for these limitations sounds so nice and comforting to me.  One limitation that I have is that I am unable to see and/or keep up with my out of town friends and family.  I spend so much time trying to figure out when and where I can try to connect with these people and it frustrates me.  I think about it, I am sad about it, I am frustrated about it.   Because of so many different limitations, I cannot be near these certain people.  

Compassion in regards to this limitation seems to include an acceptance, a gratefulness, and a preservation of a significant amount of emotional energy.  If I could accept that I am limited because I do have two rambunctious boys who demand all of me almost all day, every day and at this time in my life it is going to be hard to be places, that would be compassionate.  If I could focus on what is on the other side of the limitation; the opportunities I am blessed with, although limiting, that would be compassionate. If I could use this energy to send loving and prayerful thoughts out to those I want to be with and can't, that would be compassionate.  Freeing myself of frustration and replacing it with compassion is a gift that I am going to try to give myself... starting now.