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| Level of Life - [The Level of Yielding][2.50] |
Yielding
The Chinese symbols for yielding depict the way rivers and streams form their paths according to the dictates of nature : they yield to what is.
Did you know that yielding conquers the resistant, and that soft triumphs over hard ?
Water is soft, yet wears rock away. Bamboo tree flex in the wind, flourish in the harsh winter, and are used to make shelter, while rigid pine trees crack during a storm.
Resistance to unpredictable change is pointless. We understand that we must yield to opposing forceds by adapting to change. Flexibility and spontaneity are the keys to success in all arenas of physical activity. For example, in the martial arts, yielding to opposing forces is crucial ; you absorb an attack by blending with its force. This is also true in football when an offensive lineman uses the force of the opposition to his advantage by stepping aside and taking his opponent to the ground.
Yield to loss, yield to injury, yield to all conflict by being fluid,flexible, and soft.
Any changes in the normal routine of a game, event, or work-out demand that you be flexible and yield.
You may find yourself feeling angry and frustrated because you can´t run due to unfortunate injury or weather obstacles. Can you try another source of exercise , perhaps cross-train on a bike or elliptical machine or swim in a pool ? There are other ways in which you can still meet your needs of exercise.
Such is the mental advantage you will have over those who remain psychologically rigid or resistant.
Rigidity causes tension and stress, which obstruct one´s potential. We recall the story of a drunken man who falls of a cart without injury because he yields to the fall in a flexible soft way.
The wise adventurer demonstrates true strength by yielding to sudden change.
In "The Art of War", Sun Tzu tells us to be creative and refuse to give preconceived notions permission to distract us from a powerful option - yielding.
When facing sudden and unpredictable change, adapt with flexibility. According to the wisdom of the East, those who are inflexible descend; the yielding will ascend.
Declaration: When I am inflexible and rigid, I set myself up for defeat. When I yield, I am in harmony with success.
Reflection: In what one way can I demonstrate the virtue of yielding today ? What examples of rigidity do I have in my own past behaviour, and how might I change them knowing what I know now ?
[paraphrased and inspired by Spirit of the Dancing Warrior]
