As humans, our nature is to grow, change, create and LOVE. We all have goals. We all have potential. So why do we get stuck, what is it that keeps us from reaching that potential? We all want to be happy. Its really that simple.
I think of bad habits like getting lost in the labyrinth of our own mind: we've carved these pathways that are comfortable and then we hit a road block: we run into our own edge- over and over again. We experience frustration, restlessness....and most often: fear of the unknown. Learning to acknowledge and distinguish emotions that are indicators of unnecessary obstacles is key at both developing your yoga practice, expanding your personal self awareness and achieving your goals. Live what you love, love what you live and make it a habit to get out of your own way. Easier said than done. We all wish we had more time to do what we love, but somehow day after day we find ourselves repeating the same old habits, and hitting that same edge again. Whether you are a yogi, a mechanic, an artist or an entrepreneur....the experience is universal. Most entrepreneur's that I've encountered have familiar experience with this philosophy. Useless habitual patterns have no place in a growing business. They know that in the face of fear, you have to open to deserving abundance, wealth and growth and take a gigantic leap of faith in order to move forward. The philosophy is precisely the same. Clearing that which is not working, and doing what you love is an investment in your own potential.
There is no doubt that we are modern people living in a modern world and the pressures of deadlines, meetings, expectations, judgements, influences of what we "should" be doing can hang heavy over your head (or heart), but if we don't invite these experience to teach us about the way we're choosing to expel our energy, live our life and the people we choose to surround ourselves with us, then that “edge” will remain intact, and probably build on top of itself until... well, it resembles the great wall of China. But its this edge of discomfort that is the golden ticket.
Being in the flow isn't about everything going your way, although this may happen. Its about opening to each experience for exactly what it is, while being humble enough to admit that maybe what you are doing isn't working any more. I think of it like riding the subway. If you get on and realize you're going the wrong direction, you don't continue on that line. That would be pointless. Instead, you simply get off and go in a different direction. There is no guilt to be had about this, its simply what has to be done to get to where you are suppose to go.
With this perspective, stress becomes an opportunity to become increasingly more present and to let go. Often we fear the unknown because we don't know what would remain if we actually LET GO of the useless stuff. But it is safe to say that everything that is real will stay- and better yet, everything that is real will be the catalyst for using your energy to as movement toward your goals.
You might find a little humor in actually looking at how much effort it takes to maintain these habits with resistance, anger, and guilt.
To resist change is to resist life. Change is the constant practice of letting go.
This is yoga. Whether you're doing the physical practice isn't relative. In sanskrit, yoga means union. And every single person has those things that bring them back home to themselves. It is that simple- whether you are on are off your mat, accessing your own deep reality is one choice away: choose to let go. I've had countless teachers tell me that the way you do yoga on your mat is often a reflection of how we "do" life. This is true for any practice, or commitment. In order to grow we have to honestly look at how we are choosing to show up.
I hit my own edge in my yoga practice. I wasn't moving forward, and the postures were becoming too comfortable. I was feeling bored, I spent more time in my head than in my body. I had built walls for myself to limit the places I could go, mostly because my mind was used to that and focused on how the posture looked rather than the internal process behind it. I was doing yoga like I was doing life. I was trying to get through the postures, almost faster than I was breathing. I entered the room with this attitude of "lets just get this over with so I can have that post yoga bliss and get on with life." There I was..... a "serious yogi", and still a slave to my own mind.
This realization alone allowed me to penetrate beyond those habits and bring them into conscious awareness in my practice. Now each time I get bored on or off the mat I become
- curious
- present
- and then take action.
I understand that these feelings aren't facts, just signposts to something much deeper.
There is an entire process going on behind the feelings of boredom, comfort, fear or frustration.
My practice of yoga has changed from being good at the postures to being curious about the process- to quiet my mind enough to listen to my body. Now my awareness in my personal yoga practice floods into my life...so I actually have much more time to do the things I love instead of wasting that energy on useless habits. I found this quote the other day and I found it incredibly relative to the transition in my yoga practice and the way I live my life off the mat.
"Yoga doesn't take time...it gives time." ~Ganga White
And again, whatever unites you with yourself is yoga and is absolutely worth your investment.
So the next time you're feeling the blues (on or off the mat), or the sense of stagnation in your practice....become curious, and keep going. Make this your mantra. Replace resistance with curiosity, and finally....be gracious to yourself for taking the time to give yourself time, because after all, that's all we really need.
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