As most of you already know, I love basketball and am passionate about my San Antonio Spurs. I love having us all stretch Tim Duncan Tall. Just as on and off the yoga mat, there’s lots of life to be learned on and off the basketball court.
A spectacular slamdunk and an ordinary tip-in both score the same 2 points. Sportsmanship counts, reflected not only in final scores, but also in humility during and after the game. A Hall of Fame player often never wears a Finals ring.
One of the 4 Spurs Championship Rings
As playoff time nears there’s a lot of talk about a team’s Magic Number. This is a combination of wins and losses that determines a team’s ranking in the playoffs. You can advance by winning, but you can also advance by someone else winning over your close competition.
It all sounds more mathematical than it really is, but it got me to thinking — what if in life we all had a Magic Number? So many good deeds, so many acts of kindness and we’d go to the championship round. Do something not so good — and we all do — no worries, our friends will help us out and push us ahead.
I like thinking our Life Magic Number is infinite in scope. That in our lifetime we all will have enough opportunity to do good to make us champions, even if there’s no ring at the end of the season.
GO SPURS GO!
sides of the giving process rather than the gift itself. Many Christmases ago I asked Ron for a simple gold bangle — not really a bracelet even, just a thread of gold for my wrist would have been perfect. The box under the tree was the right size and shape — I just knew my new husband had bought me the perfect piece of jewelry for our first Christmas together.
Fish tacos with fresh mango salsa and Buffalo meatloaf with seasoned steamed julienne vegetables all served on real plates with real silverware to be eaten outside on a weathered, well used picnic table. Gas pumps out front, the inside surrounded by refrigerator cases filled with the usual soft drinks and beer. The register decorated with last minute auto items hanging in their bubble packs. There was no hint of the delicious food we were about to savor.
out in the sun as something dangerous, mothers would send their kids outside to play all day. I always felt fortunate to have grown up on the banks of the Potomac River where as kids we swam until the jellyfish came in then kicked around in the sand collecting shells.
my yoga practice on the back burner. The shame and sadness I had been feeling just lifted with these words. What I’ve learned over time is while you may not always find the time for your mat practice, yoga never really leaves you — it’s always there for you when you need some balance or a deep belly breath or just some gentle time of stillness to collect and find yourself.
I believe that our bodies store everything that happens to us — like rings on a tree. Some rings, we don’t even know why they are there. Yoga opens up our bodies and peels back even ancient layers, which once acknowledged can rest. They never go away, but they can find some peace in their place in our history. Yoga never changes circumstances, but it can change how we react to what’s going on around us.
Obstacles
Obstacles give us an opportunity to grow.
But, it’s only by doing the difficult things — both on and off the mat — that we get better at them.