In this week's reading, Pema talks about experience a moment of clarity just as her husband tells her about his affair. In this moment of imbalance she looses her sense of control and opens into a wide, calm, and thorough experience of the moment. Then, as she says: "I regrouped and picked up a stone and through it at him".
Life does this to us all the time. Things happen which interrupt our sense of correctness, safety, and control. Generally, we miss out on that first moment of openness and go right into trying to reclaim our sense of stability. What yoga flow can do is help us find that moment of in-between, where we've released our certainty but haven't yet jumped into reaction.
As we breathe and move through the poses we are always letting go. A lunge gives way to a twist, which gives way to a backbend. Our breathing floats us between these shapes and helps us find home in these transitions.
I love how clear Pema is about how spiritual practice is not always pleasant. Our transitions are not always blissful or smooth, we don't always feel strong or energized as we practice. But this is a feature not a bug - what we are doing is learning to stay with ourselves through the shaky bits, to become familiar with letting go and all the uncertainty, vulnerability, and wisdom that comes from that moment.