We Are Powerless Over.....

Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over _______________ -- that our lives had become unmanageable.

12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous

As an addict, we fill in the above blank with alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, food, work, and we are now told that we can add our electronic devices to this list. Regardless, whether you are an admitted addict or not, I expect that most of us can fill in the blank with a behavior which is not healthy for us. In the Yoga world, we define health according to our physical, emotional and Spiritual conditions.

There are two very notable aspects of this step in life. First of all, this admission is a cry for help. Our western society doesn't do a very good job of teaching us to ask for help. We teach our children to learn to do things independently. Yet we continue to stress team work in many activities of life. Hmmmmm? Pull yourself up from your problems. Hmmmmm? get a job and support yourself. Hmmmmmm?

The second aspect of this step is the first word, "we". This is the second word we utter in our admission of powerlessness. "WE" is an admission that there is someone greater than me and I need their help. I am not an individual. I am a member of something greater. This is also an admission of hope. This is the hope of finding a place of rest. We offer each other this hope of a restful place. We know we are not alone.