Is fragility actually strength?

At the beginning of February the camellia plant in the garden flowered. I always think of it as being a delicate plant because of how soon the flowerheads drop to the floor. I started thinking about what a plant that flowers so early on in the years goes through - for starters it’s flowered the week after a storm, with two more that have come through since then. It’s not been an easy time!

I stood at the window watching it in the wind and the rain, staying strong, flowers intact and realised that what I’ve thought of as a fragile flower is actually pretty strong and resilient.

What we often see as our own fragility, may actually be our strength. They come hand in hand and through yoga we can understand our fragilities and find our strength.

I’ve had a couple of setbacks recently, and some plans I thought were coming together are taking a little longer. It’s hard not to feel disappointed and a bit fed up. I started thinking about how the yama and niyama can help me, in particular aparigraha - non-grasping. It’s something I keep coming back to.

So I’m working with gratitude for what I have, finding strength in myself, trusting my path and finding contentment in the moment. Which right now is looking at camellia blooms surviving the storms.