Integrity

While driving together Don and I started to talk about our theme for August.  We tossed out different ideas bouncing from one to the next, feeding off of each one. I don’t remember the chain of ideas, but I do remember the place when integrity was thrown into the loop (funny how that can happen.)  Don immediately looked it up, with Siri’s help, and started to read the meanings out loud.  I loved it!

Integrity is a concept that translates across the whole of our being. Its meaning relates to unity, wholeness, and values.  It can be about tensile strength in our physical body, spiritual values that we hold to, emotional support we give to help strengthen our community, mental fortitude that uplifts us daily.  It is one of those things that is at the crux of so much of our being, and vital to our wellbeing!

And yet, we often faulter in focusing on it, nurturing it, and utilizing its full potential! 

I was recently paddling with a friend in her early 40s and she shared a story about a recent interaction when she stood in her integrity and held a clear line. I was so honored that she shared it with me and remarked to her what a wonderful (and refreshing) thing it was to hear her so clearly stand in her integrity.  I think she sort of shrugged it off, but I really meant it as it seems less and less that people know how to live the life of integrity.

First, we need to be clear in our values and they can be so confused or contaminated by the static in our day to day living. We need stillness and quiet to be in touch with what we believe, what has great value to us, while for many of us that stillness and quiet is a rare commodity!  When we come to sit in our yoga or meditation practice, walk in nature, and observe life quietly we can begin to quiet the “noise” and hear our soul’s desires.  Integrity is built on that!

Integrity is fluid with strength but not rigidity.  It supports us in our wholeness, doesn’t crumble parts of us to uplift other parts.  A wonderful litmus test is to be aware of how you feel in all of your being when coming to a decision.  If only part of you is going to thrive it may be a great opportunity to pause and look deeper.  What value is being dismissed that may in the long run defeat you, then look for a way to bring all values in alignment?  Don’t cheat one part of you to uplift another, in the long run there will be destruction.

It is going to be a wonderful month of knitting ourselves stronger, healthier, happier and whole, as we pull things apart, reorder our feelings and values, explore our beliefs, grow new skin and align our Integrity.  Yoga is an amazing practice and forum for just that.  Akhadata