Being Human during Turbulent Times
As Yoga teacher Brett Larkin says, “I am not just a human Doing, I am a Human Being.”
Her quote lends itself to the topic of Last week, we went over the importance of Valuing your Self-Worth and Genuine love for ourselves by learning how to embrace loneliness.
Our Mantra was:
Your mantra may become:
I Value mySelf enough to know…… (fill in the blank here)
I Love mySelf enough to know…… (fill in the blank here)
Consider this:
When was the last time you celebrated yourSelf?
When was the last time you did something special just for yourself?
We get so caught up in the cycle of doing that we forget the importance of just being. Pulling ourselves away from the computer because of working remotely, teaching remotely, attending school remotely, although is meant to simplify our lives, has also become an incredibly powerful addiction.
It’s as though you feel guilty for being away from the computer to actually go and have fun. Not posting on social media, but actually going and having a damn good time.
When was the last time you went to a parade, a concert, cruise, amusement park? Possibly pre-pandemic, but as things are slowly winding down COVID- wise, we need to start taking those mOMents to capture the art of being outdoors again, around others (even if socially distant still) and accepting the pleasantries of nature.
It is kind of like going outside of your comfort zone to pull yourself away from old/ new habits that were formed whilst in the pandemic era.
How much are you willing to go outside your comfort zone and enter into expansion?
For me, it’s creating a new routine to be outdoors more in the middle of the day, to take breaks (like I am walking myself as I have no dog), and appreciating more than just working all the time.
Professor Roxanna mentioned once that in our current American culture “we live to work instead of working to live.”
There needs to be a balance between the two as it aligns with the natural rhythms of life. The circadian rhythms, as we have learned in a podcast and blog before.
Basic needs, such as sleep, healthy meals at proper times, and self-care, all play a significant role in bringing us back to hOMeostasis.
Although simple, it tends to be such a challenge. Especially for overactive 3rd chakras, and Vata-Pittas, Pitta Vatas (like myself).
We tend to have a default pattern that we revert back to when we attempt to improve when we fall short of our goal. However, this is the time to empower yourself and refine. To embrace those challenges and when you fall short of your goal, take an assessment of where the shift was and make the adjustments to do it better.
Maybe, as we enter into the next 40days, use this as your time to enter into the “Age of Courage.”
To do one thing a day that scares you. Something you would normally not do, like pull yourself away from the computer and make yourself a meal, call a friend for a few minutes to catch up instead of texting, or go for a walk around your neighborhood or block.
For me, it was dressing up in a crazy costume and walking the entire parade route to go see my favorite band Coheed and Cambria at the concert venue in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras. (About a 2 mile or more walk).
In doing this I remembered the mantras:
I Value mySelf enough to know…… (fill in the blank here)
I Love mySelf enough to know…… (fill in the blank here)
I began to recognize the power of my own unique being and was able to make conscious choices so as to not miss an opportunity. Have you ever seen the movie, “Benjamin Me?”
Matt Damon says in the movie, to have “20 seconds of incredible courage.”
Those 20 seconds have the power to transform your life. A decision that will inspire you to enter into your greatness and wholeness. I never forgot those words and they have been tattooed into my mind. It is how I have grown not just my business, but mySelf.
Ayurveda has become the newest passion in my life and the perfect sister to the passion I have for yoga and the philosophy of yoga that combines the power of embodying one's wholeness to enliven the inner intelligence of physiology and achieve incredible health.
Discovering “the way the truth and the light.”
Once you discover your way, you embody your truth. Once you discover your truth, it will illuminate the essence of your way. And hence the trinity of yoga. Mind-body-spirit = wholeness.
Consider this:
Where are you denying your needs?
How will you change your path to enter into your wholeness?
What lifestyle choices do you need to change when life gives you choices?
Being human during times that are turbulent can trigger a barrage of emotions and Pragya aparadh (ignorance of the intellect). We see this reflected externally in the world around us, social media, and so on. However, when you allow it to get the best of you, you lose the best part of you.
Let us not become what we see but become what we are destined to be.
The way, the truth, and the light during times of great trials. Remember what Illi has said, “without trials, how does one triumph?”
These are the basic foundations of the 7 chakras that lead to the higher states when we are able to get to the root chakra of our being, to enter into the desires of our innate intuition, to ignite the light of purification, and allow the seeds to expand throughout us from the embrace of our wholeness. Once we align within these 4 chakras, we enter into the truth of speech, thought, and experience.
This is how we are human BEINGS and not humans DOing.
We are not on automatic. Anxiety is a form of charge that is restricted at a high level in the body and causes an imbalance in physiology. Having the ability to navigate it so you can enter into your wholeness is key to achieving your greatness. Instead of saying “I have to”… Begin to say “I choose too.”
Begin to shape your own destiny and not be a victim of your own circumstances (like we discussed last week and spoke about in our last blog (embracing the fear of loneliness).
Let not the turbulence of the world hold you back from sharing your music. Be the music, share your light, and embrace those 20 secs of courage to make conscious choices to improve your life and touch the lives of others.
Like a guitar, life will surely pluck your strings, what sound will you make with it?
I’ll see/chat with you all next week!
Till then,
Namaste
Stay healthy my friends…
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References and Resources:
Our Daily Bread; School of Pain, Dennis Fisher (2019)
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Mountain Rose Herbs - Save on your monthly orders
Mayo Clinic, Broken Heart Syndrome Blog
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