Moving Forward: Circle or Straight Line?

by Stephanie F. Earls


I have been thinking a lot, and talked tonight in class about growth, moving forward and whether we go in circles or in straight lines.  My four year old marks his growth in a straight line, by how high his head is above the bathroom sink. My friend marks her growth in the straight line of a run measured in miles. 

At the same time life is full of circles, cycles and repetition: the moon, the seasons, the Earth revolving around the Sun, days of the week. 

Cognitively we might have the urge to measure success or growth as an idea of distance or height…we ask ourselves, how far have I come, where have I been, where am I now? And of course, where am I going? 

Amidst all of our asking we find ourselves coming up against what seem like the same things over and over again. On our mat we push into the same downward facing dog, the same child’s pose, the same tadasana/mountain.  And in life just like in yoga, we come up to feelings we thought we had resolved or challenges we thought we made our way through, until they reappear in a new form, asking us to look at ourselves again. Sometimes it feels like we are going around in circles.

Using yoga, we can start to witness the patterns in our lives and may see that indeed, like life, we do go in circles. But rather than going around and hitting our head against the same thing over and over again, if we look closer and with an open heart we will see and feel that as we circle around, our circle grows and when the “same” challenges or seemingly unresolved feelings come up again, we are coming to them as a new person, enriched from experience, more understanding, more curious, more open to heal and closer to our truth. In the repetition, we are being given a chance to recognize our growth and strengthen ourselves in the places that need practice. 

As we revolve, we evolve.

You are new today, you are more full and rich with experience, strength and understanding of yourself.  As you sink again into your Warrior 2 or practice your sun salutations, take a moment to connect to who you are today.  The framework of your asana may be the same, but you are not. Your circle has come around, expanded and grown. You are bringing something new to your mat and everything in your life. The best you can, let go of any idea in your head about who you were last time you practiced or who you will be tomorrow.  

As things come around, whether it be asana or emotions,  instead of being hard on yourself for “going around in circles”, thank yourself for coming around again to the challenge you face and use it as a time to recognize how you’ve grown and your newness and strengthen the parts of you that need strengthening so you can move forward, within your circle.  

This doesn’t mean it’ll necessarily be easier or comfortable right away, but as you recognize the steady constant around which you circle, you will begin to open and unfold. Each coming around will be easier, lighter, more empowering. 

As you focus on the center of your circle and let it be your anchor, your circle will begin to spiral, merging the energy of the straight line with the circle. You will bring your new self to what seems like the same old thing and breathe new life into the space you have created in your body, in your heart and in your mind. And from this focus and in your circle, your cycle, your revolution, you evolve.  You will surely see how far you have come, where you can go, how you have moved forward and most perfect of all: where you are now.