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Feline Zen You know how cats are always stretching? eric likes to take one of our cats legs and help him get a wider stretch. I feel this is an act of kindness (and it looks adorable too).
I have discussed this kitty stretching with a couple people and have decided that cats know something we don’t (besides how to sleep, eat and play all day long). As a fan of Yoga I see a lot of these feline movements as expressions of this ancient art and exercise (vice versa I guess). Just being aware of your body and allowing it that strange freedom for a moment can change your whole day.
So get up! Wherever you are, get up and stretch. Stand on your tippy toes like you did as a child playing ballerina or reaching for that tree branch to climb. Stretch in a position that couldn’t possibly look cool – let your inhibitions drop as you feel your entire body expand.
Sometimes I forget that many people I know don’t do yoga or tai chi. In these arts/exercise forms you are constantly aware of your breathing and you pay a great deal of attention to your body and your mind. Also: you often lie on the floor. Lying on the floor helps your perspective and makes you feel more childlike. Do you ever lie on the floor? Get down there! See how things loom large above you (cat’s perspective again), how your entire body is supported by the earth. Put your arms over your head on the floor. Now stretch through the tips of your toes and through your fingers. Be vulnerable and yet comfortable. (Just writing this makes me feel more relaxed!)
We have these amazing vessels but we are close to them that we forget. We forget that we can easily be good to our soul and mind. We forget that we can take a walk, swim, dance, meditate, or just experience ourselves with a big clumsy stretch. We forget that we have within us all the tools to be happy.