If there’s one thing in this life on which we can be certain – it’s change.
Sometimes it’s change we actively seek and welcome; sometimes it’s change that comes to find us. Either way, it’s coming!
As human beings, we’re programmed not to really like change. On a biological level at least, we like things to be constant. Change means uncertainty…and that means stress. Even if we hate our current circumstance, and even if it’s a change we’ve chosen gladly, there’s always that pull back to the devil we know.
In just a few days time, I’m moving house. I’m really excited, but not without some trepidation too. It’s a big shift. A new chapter. The start of the next phase of my life.
What can we do when facing change? Our practice, as ever, has the answer.
Return to the breath. Get our feet firmly on the ground. Reconnect to the present moment – without catastrophising; recognising fantasy. Return to this moment and observe. This is how we learn to flow; bending with the changing winds; allowing the waves to break over us…rather than trying to hold back the inevitable tides.
This too will pass
Is any phrase, any four small words, more full of humility and hope? I return to it often; and in times of shift and upheaval – with all their excitement, frustration, newness – it seems to me deeply yogic in it’s message of now-ness.
Shift happens. It’s how we choose to respond that is really the measure of the outcome.
Yoga for when the winds of change blow:
1. Breathe.
No mat, no studio, no lycra required. We always have our conscious breath to return to. Take a deep breath in, and s-l-o-w-l-y let it all out. Consider this your haven; safe ground to which you can always turn, whenever things get a little….cuckoo.
2. Connect with the earth.
Feeling sure and steadfast underfoot underpins our posture and our inner sense of security. Be the virabhadrasana Warrior! Confident, strong, looking ahead with poise and equinimity.
Send roots down through the souls of your feet – Vrksasana (Tree Pose) is a nice, playful way to root down to rise up and really feel the bend, sway and readjustment.
3. Be kind.
Kindness is king in a world of endless change! Look after yourself. Tend to your needs. Be compassionate towards yourself – as you would to your child, your parent, your best friend. Notice what you are noticing; newness can be uncomfortable; joy can be unsettling – but this discomfort is all part of the growing. New feels disturbing until – it becomes the way of being.
As my mother always tell me – nothing is wasted. It is all a lesson; all opportunity to expand.
Times they are a-changing; and we are flowing.
