Karen Reeves demonstrates Flying Splits Pose. Photo: Fred Padilla
By Karen Watson Reeves
Have you ever wanted something so badly that you could think of nothing else? It would require a lot of hoping and dreaming and praying for it to come to fruition. Hard work and patience would be necessary.
Seeing the Our Promise House come into being has been like that for the leaders and the board of Our Promise Cancer Resources. Dealing with setbacks and disappointments, but persevering to see this vision through to completion.
And once it is finished and houses out-of-town patients and families undergoing cancer treatments, there is a feeling of satisfaction and even pride for not giving up!
Getting into a challenging yoga pose is like that on a different level. Once the desire is there, the patience and the work begin. Obstacles get in the way; falls occur; frustrations deter progress. But determination almost always pays off, whether working towards a house for cancer patients, or lifting off the ground into an arm balance yoga posture.
Besides feelings of satisfaction and the release of endorphins, other benefits of Flying Splits Pose include building muscle strength in the arms, shoulders, core, and hips, as well as building a strong and flexible back. Focus and stability are increased. Body awareness and confidence are heightened.
Sticking with something is not easy. Giving up, getting discouraged, feeling defeated is common. But when the goal is lofty and the determination to stick with it is present, the rewards are evident. Whether the walls of a house are lifting up from its foundation or a body is lifting off the ground onto the hands, the feelings of accomplishment are obvious.
What is presenting itself as an obstacle to a dream of yours? Find strength and perseverance to see it through and then you will soar!
Karen Watson Reeves has called Hot Springs home since 2006. Owner of The Yoga Place, at 301 Whittington Avenue, she became a registered yoga/children’s yoga teacher in 2011. She is on the Hot Springs YMCA teaching staff and is an adjunct instructor at National Park College. When not on the mat, Karen enjoys the beautiful outdoors of the National Park, especially from her bicycle. For more information about her studio and her schedule of classes, visit www.theyogaplacehs.com.
