A Heart for the Hill

On Saturday I drove my friend to heartbreak hill, a hill that she will be running in the Boston Marathon today.

It occurred to me that I grew up in a town that is famous for a hill that breaks hearts - positioned just at the point on the course where marathoners hit their "wall."

Well from a yogic perspective, this just won't do! And it got me thinking.

When in our lives have we felt that we "hit a wall," on top of which, we are faced with a long, winding hill? When have we feared that we could hit a wall and uphill climb, even if it is 21 miles ahead -- we take that fear with us, and it's the fear that takes us down, not the hill.

And so in honor of all those marathoners who are currently facing that hill in Newton -- rather than letting the uphill climb break our hearts, let's approach the hill with a bigger heart, a greater courage, and then the hill becomes just a part of the path.

From Karoun Yoga Newsletter #53, 4/19/2010