Practice Acceptance
By Meagan Francis
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Practice Your Relationship
Of course, spirituality is all about union; it isn't meant to be a dividing force. If you feel your practice is becoming the source of friction in your relationship, you might want to examine the intent with which you are practicing. "At the end of the day, your practice is a way to connect to yourself and open to others," Lee says. "Yoga is relationship, whether it's the relationship between the breath and nervous system, or the relationship between you and the person on the mat next to you who has B.O. If you don't like the way your hip feels in Pigeon Pose, do you get rid of your hip?"
Lee suggests viewing the challenges that come along as a way to enhance your spiritual practice and help you delve deeper into acceptance and compassion. "Obstacle is really key," she says. "Anything that's difficult is more fodder for deepening your practice—rather than trying to change anything or anybody, you learn to work with things the way they are."
And if you're intent on having a healthy relationship, by all means keep practicing! Whether your partner shares your spiritual beliefs or not, your practice can make your relationship better. "Most spiritual practices teach the components of a successful relationship: valuing compassion, forgiveness, commitment, honesty," Taylor says. "When people bond with a spiritual practice of awakening, then all these cultural and relationship issues about who's going to the right church or following the right leader disappear." Then the spiritual experience is maximized and made real; heart meets heart. "I think relationship is one of the greatest spiritual practices," he says.
Lean on Your Yleaoga
Your partner may grow to appreciate the changes your practice creates in you, even if he or she doesn't share your beliefs. Holly Case, a 31-year-old mother of three in Auburn, Michigan, noticed this happening with Jason, her husband of 11 years, as she deepened her own yoga practice. "He was skeptical at first. He teased me about it, saying it was for New Age hippies," she says. "He thought it was a little silly." But as Case began to benefit from the emotional, spiritual, and physical changes she was experiencing, she found that it changed her relationship for the better—and that Jason noticed and appreciated the changes as well.
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