A step backwards: stagnation or stategy?

This is a paradox...

Sleepy dog resting on a bed with warm blankets.

Paradoxically,
It is the very act of retreating
That helps us move forward more.

We have all experienced those moments
Where we simply decided to let go,
To surrender,
To yield and hand it over.
And then, suddenly,
Almost miraculously
The solution appeared.

Can you allow yourself
The gift of a step backwards,
Not out of stagnation or stuckness
But as a part of your spiritual path?

This week I am attending
A six-day spiritual meditation retreat
By my Buddhist teacher Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche.

If you look at the photo at the top left,
You can spot me (any my husband in front of me),
Pre-pandemic, in the capital of Nepal,
Attending a retreat with the same teacher,
Together with a lot of "my tribe".
(Hmm I might write about that soon,
That longing we all have,
To find "our people"...)

And do you remember my musings
About who mirrors your soul?
Let me tell you,
This teacher reflects mine back to me...

It makes me feel
That I am bigger than I think I am.
Able to feel, be, in ways
I never even knew existed.
Peaceful, incredibly content,
At ease, spacious, full of love.

And because we all miss travelling,
Here's one of a retreat in Bodhgaya,
In the heart (and heat!) of India.
See that tree below the Mahabodhi temple?
That's where they say
The Buddha realised enlightenment.

Inked44798452_10156774408171170_3944460984977981440_o_LI.jpg

This week the retreat
Is at the courtesy of our friend Zoom.
Different, that's for sure :)
But the principle stays the same:
Sometimes retreat
Is our best way forward.

I'll leave you with a French expression:
Reculer pour mieux sauter
(Source: Mira Kirshenbaum) :
"This means that you have to step back,
Retreat a little,
If you’re going to successfully
Jump over something.
Want to jump across a ditch?
You don’t just walk to the edge
And then leap.
You walk to the edge, gauge the distance,
And then retreat a bit to give yourself room
To get a full running start before you leap.

Sometimes
We can’t take the next leap forward
Unless we take the time to step back first.

Where and how will you get the strength
To sauter (leap forward)
If you can’t allow yourself
To reculer (pull back)?”

With love,
Karin

PS
My online course Find Your Path
Is a wonderful Inner Journey
Which you can join at any time
As a Stay-At-Home-Retreat.
It's about being kinder to yourself,
Befriending difficult emotions,
Defining your own path in life
And to walk it with confidence.