Theres a certain crispness in there is there not Northern Hemespherers?
The sweat of summer is drying off, as is the rich green landscape which is being replaced by new smells, sights and sensations.
The blankets are out, the beanies are on and its only natural that there is a tiny sense of loss of our long summer days and balmy nights.
Since moving to Norway, I would have to say that this is my first real year of “post summer blues”…Its time to put into practice, the art of being present and appreciating life in its many colours and forms.
I read this quote about Autumn and just like the magic of this season…I was hit in the face by the glorious appreciation of seeing change as the beautiful creature that it is!
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The father of yoga, the creator of the “Yoga Sutras” Patanjali wrote:
“We misunderstand our world, things that are not, seem to us as if they are”
(Yoga Sutras 11.5D)
Hows that for a knowledge bomb! The first time I read this, I actually had to read it over about 3 times to simply understand the sentence itself!
So often, our minds begin to meddle and our perception of reality becomes colored with expectations, emotions and lets face it – ego.
Its a simple act to open ones eyes, but to really “open our eyes” we need to let our minds become quiet.
Change is a force, it is a wonderful tool that presents itself with physical, mental and emotional challenges- challenges that by design, we are capable of overcoming.
Often as the mind begins to buzz, our perception of change is altered and the fear of change begins to take over and add extra complications into the mix.
As a yoga teacher & practitioner, as a fairly new immigrant- I am confronted with change on a daily basis… and let me tell you, its an ongoing effort for us all to keep our eyes open! Its not just me, its not just you- we’re all in this together, because we are drawn together with a common denominator, our minds 🙂
I have learnt over these years to identify the beginning stages of “mental resistance”… you know the feeling- the tiny collective tightening up of your body, mind and heart when something doesn’t go as you planned… This urge of resistance is actually a voice in itself.
Part of the journey to quieten the mind begins by acknowledging this feeling… In one of my previous posts “Conscious fears are conquerable fears” I journeyed into replacing emotion with rationalisation.
In my journey, in my life- identifying even the tiniest hint of “resistance” in my day to day life on and off the mat triggers me to stop the emotional whirlwind and get back to reality to “see” my surroundings as they really are. I cant say i’m a pro at it yet, but thats the beauty of life and growth… the journey itself 🙂
On the mat – quieten the resistance, breathe and let change happen.
Off the mat – quieten the resistance, breathe and let change happen.
You will be ok. I will be ok.
This is part of our design.