Follow the Call

I’ve often heard of people doing 108 Sun Salutations to welcome in new seasons or new years but the idea around it was foreign to me. However, everything in the “yoga world” that I’ve ever been curious about and explored deeper has always fascinated me and rang pretty true. If it’s the yoga sutras, the chakras, Ayurveda, vegetarianism, the 8 limbs, meditation, etc. I always find something I can take away and incorporate into my life. So for whatever reason, I was being pulled to do 108 Sun Salutations on New Years Eve.

We were vacationing on a mountain lake in NC with some friends and I kept brushing off the call to my mat. I didn’t want to be rude and disappear for an hour, I didn’t know where I could practice and not interrupt anyone, I needed a nap, I had just eaten… all day… more excuses. As we were sitting around on the porch, one of my friends asked me “why 108?” So I regurgitated what I’d learned: “Renowned mathematicians of Vedic culture viewed 108 as a number of wholeness of existence. Also, the average distance of the Sun and the Moon to the Earth is 108 times their respective diameters. There are 108 beads on a mala, 108 sacred

sites in India, and 108 sacred points of the body.” *Shiva Rea, Yoga Journal, 13 Nov 2007. Umm… ok.

But WHY do 108 Sun Salutations? Well, because it’s challenging – both mentally and physically. It’s kind of inspiring. It’s a pretty intense moving meditation. I’ve read it will leave you more focused, more disciplined, more resilient, more committed to your own practice, more connected to your own mind. And that’s where the curiosity and motivation re-entered and the call got louder. I decided it was worth it. Now was the time. And the weather was just right…out on the dock. It was peacefully silent out there, away from the group, no distractions. So with less hesitation and a few nerves, I took my mat on the serious journey all the way down to the dock. Seriously – check out that drop! (The water is really low.) --->

And now here I am. Just me and my mat. And the expansive water literally underneath my feet. Do I need to meditate first? Warm up my body? Do some pranayama? Probably. But I was ready so I just started. I started easy – knees, chest, chin, cobra, down dog. Then I did some chaturangas. I was holding the count in my head and began visualizing the number I was on and switching while I was in down dog. I alternated between modifying and full on – making sure I did at least one full chaturanga (low pushup) for every set of 10. I got hot around 28 so I took my jacket off. I lost count around 47… or maybe 46. But I kept going. I got even hotter around 63 so I took my shirt off (down to a sports bra). Around 82, I started to think I was so tired, I might not finish. But I kept going. I would do 10 and pause for a full round of breath. And 10 more. And 10 more. And when I got to 96, I started to feel this rush. This excitement that I was going finish. Something happened in my exhausted body. This surge of power and accomplishment and pride and connectiveness and elation. And at 105, I got confused and forgot how to do a Sun A but then I gave back in to my body and finished out my last 3. I did it. 108 Sun Salutations. Now what?

Well, my mat was spread out next to these 2 beautiful blue kayaks but I had been consciously trying not to think about them. And once I was done, they were all I could think about. This call that had brought me to this dock and to 108 Sun Salutations was now calling me to be on the lake. So I did think to put my shirt back on but I didn’t bring a jacket or my phone. I didn’t tell anybody at the house where I was going. I didn’t have a lifejacket or even consider how I was going to get out of this kayak when I was done. I just needed to be in it. So I got in. I’ve kayaked maybe 10 times in my entire life. Always enjoyed it but it’s not an activity that’s readily available to me. Until today. And I paddled out to the middle of this quiet, peaceful cove on Lake Hiwassee and was just out there. Just me and that paddle.

I wish I had a picture to capture the beauty from that angle but I’m glad I didn’t have the distraction. This one was taken from the dock. --->

I’ll have the pictures in my mind. I have no idea how long I was out there or how long the Sun Salutations took but I know how the clouds were moving. And I know what the boulders on the banks of that lake look like. And I know the smoothness of the water. And I know that having completed this mission – having followed this calling to that dock and to the middle of this cove, I can officially let go of all the stuff I’ve been hanging on to. I leave all of that in 2018. I am changed. I am new. I am better for it. And I am ready for this New Year.

And I hope that if you’re still reading, you’re inspired to follow your calling. Explore the things that interest you. Experience the journey. Because I can promise you, the journey is ALWAYS worth it. Happy New Year. May 2019 bring you all the blessings your heart desires.

Namaste.

P.S. I did successfully get out of the kayak and remain dry. My friend did come down to check on me and we ended up getting back in kayaks and working our way around the lake. And the very next day, I told my husband I wanted my own kayak. 😊 Here’s to dreams coming true in 2019! Stay tuned…