by – Kristi Hardy, RYT200 Transformed Wellness LLC
Wall
/wôl/ noun
noun: wall; plural noun: walls: a continuous vertical structure that encloses or divides an area. -a side of a building or room, typically forming part of the building’s structure.
-any high vertical surface or facade, one imposing in scale. “eastern wall of the valley” -a thing perceived as a protective or restrictive barrier. “a wall of silence”
Synonyms:
1. Barrier, partition, barricade, divider, stockade, screen, panel, separator,
2. Fortification, rampart, bulwark, enclosure, battlement, bastion
As in the above definition, walls are typically seen as a source of imprisonment, separation, and division. In the first set of synonyms, they are referred to as things we must break down and overcome. However, when we look at walls in the Bible, they can become structures that protect, provide security, and represent shelter and safety, as in the second set of synonyms.
Walls can also help to form a sense of belonging. In American culture, where independence is highly valued and romanticized, we like to do our own thing in our own way. This can make it hard to ask for or accept help. But, as the song goes, “Lean on me. We all need somebody to lean on”. If your sense of pride keeps you from asking for help, that may be an invitation to contemplate the yoga concept of Asmita, which can be translated as ego attachment.
We tell ourselves, “I got this!” While confidence and self-sufficiency are desirable traits, yoga’s principles encourage the cultivation of humility, allowing one to accept and appreciate gifts of assistance and support.
The Bible also encourages us to seek support: Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them” and Hebrews 10:25: “We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing, Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming.”
Kristi Hardy
Kristi is a yogini, music teacher, and mother of two boys in Crosby, Texas. She is the founder of Transformed Wellness LLC where she leads individuals to renew their minds through connecting to Christi with their entire being on a yoga mat.