Exhale and soften

Courtesy of: http://www.colourbox.com

Life is constant change and we are in a constant state of flux.

My default position is wishing for safety, stability and black and white situations. Does this resonate? But reality is different: certainty and clear cut feelings are mirages. Life is never that simple. Ok, almost never.

The other day I was sitting as a teaching assistant in the new intake of teacher trainees at Triyoga. The group felt overwhelmed by the challenges ahead of them. Ha! I knew something about that…

My tutors realised that some reassurance was needed to address the sense of uncertainty which was sweeping through the room, leaving people lost and worried. Exhale and soften was their advice.

When we are confronted with something new, or simply when we are in the face of uncertainty, it is far better to be soft and absorb life as it is instead of feeling overwhelmed, being rigid and, ultimately, reject. If we are panicking, we cannot engage truly and fully with a new relationship, a course, a friendship, a new job, right?

I have now made this a personal mantra. Every time I’m feeling overwhelmed, I exhale and soften – I try to engage with life for what it is without strong judgments, letting go of the fears and going through the motion. I allow myself to be soil absorbing rain. By not shutting the door, new things can appear and spring up in unexpected ways.

Since I started to work on myself like this, good things are happening. I’m learning that my attitude shifts the world around me, not the other way round.

And after all, isn’t it the only way forward anyway?