Meet my greatest Teacher

Partner Vrksasana / Tree Pose

See this little girl in the photo on the left? She can bring out the absolute best and worst in me. She has excellent communication skills, loves to negotiate, and maintains an abundance of energy that only the Energizer bunny can compete with. On the other hand, she loves to antaganize me by preferring to watch dust settle rather than listening to my instructions. And then there's the fact that she can't seem to gather enough patience to enjoy the process rather than the end result. How aggravating!
Now, can you guess which little girl I'm referring to in the photo? That's right! I'm actually talking about the big little girl. The qualities that annoy me most about my 3.5 yr. old daughter, are very familiar to me. When she awakens my personal issues that I'd rather sweep under the bed; that's when I lose my temper. In all fairness, instead of taking my anger out on her actions, I need to resolve them within myself first.
Most recently, I taught a yoga class whereby I advised my students to check their ego at the door and refrain from any self-judgement. Just this week, as I was the student in a yoga class, my ego got completely in the way as I struggled with an asana. So, I'm great at talking but not so great at listening...to myself anyhow. And then there's my annoyance with the speed of life. I silently wish to wake up and suddenly arrive at my destination. What about the journey, Marisa? Well, the journey is taking too long!
There are definitely times when I get hit by a rough wave and need to re-evaluate situations (I'm a thinker, remember). The most important experiences for me are the ones that cause the 'AHA' feeling. I had that moment today while meditating on my relationship with my daughter. As I visualized our time together, I paid close attention to the actions that would aggravate me. As I tuned in, it hit me! Everything about her that upsets me, does so because I recognize it in myself. What does that mean? Whenever someone strikes our "bulls eye", there's a much deeper meaning behind our intense reaction. Usually what disturbs us so much about that person, lives within our core as well. The next time someone arouses anger in the pit of your stomach, ask yourself what it is that's bothering you so much about them and see where it lives within you.
I've always said that children are our greatest teachers. In my case, Chloe has allowed me to see that my lack of patience can sometimes take me away from the moment. She also made me realize that I need to live my yoga way beyond the physical. Tuning in requires much more listening than I ever imagined. To my dear Chloe, who I love deeply, thank you for teaching Mommy some great life lessons!