With temperatures cooling in our area as of late, hot yoga has become an increasingly-important part of my life again after taking a while off. In every class, there are a couple guarantees: sweating, breathing, and an intention offered by the teacher (did I already mention sweating?) The intention is generally just a line or two from a poem/book designed to help you think on and off your mat. As with anything, some intentions resonate, some miss the mark. Last week, as I was lying in a pool of my own perspiration, the instructor told a story that I haven't been able to get off my mind since.
Most of us have heard of Michelangelo, the famous Renaissance artist who is part of an elite group of people who have ever lived whose name is still mentioned five centuries after he passed away. One of Michelangelo's (and arguably the world's) most famous sculptures is of David, and nearly everyone has probably seen a picture of the statue at one point or another.
The story that the teacher told was short. When asked how he created such a masterpiece from a block of stone, Michelangelo gave an answer that has lived on through time: "...the sculpture is already complete within the marble block...it is already there. I just have to chisel away the superfluous material."
We spend our days searching for things that will complete us. Whether it's a new partner, a different job, or something that's on sale during Prime Day, we are always looking for ways to invent ourselves from the outside. Myself included. But what if we realized all that we need to do is uncover ourselves instead? To strip away all of the armor we put on, masking the truth of who we really are at our core?
David was already there. So are you. Start chiseling.
"A Single Seed" is my attempt to get out one idea every day that I've learned or accumulated over the years, with the hope that it may stick in someone else's memory bank as well. The idea may be related to fitness, business, life, or philosophy, but I think you'll find that many can change domains if you wish them to. With each seed planted, a new life awaits.
Image credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%27David%27_by_Michelangelo_JBU06
