Sound good? Here’s how.
If you’ve been spoon-fed on a menu of mantras like ‘no pain, no gain’, and ‘work hard, play hard’, you might be rolling your eyes around now at the idea of doing less and achieving more. Bear with me.
Nothing wrong with being driven, focused, consistent or passionate but stop sharpening those elbows for a second and ask yourself, how much are you forcing your way through life? And at what expense to your feelings of yumminess?
Meet Aimee (pic up) – she built this website with the guys at Blisworth-based Clear Vertical – Richard, Kev, Mark, Stuart and co. I met Richard, at a Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) meeting in early 2014 – post “Jump” (see blog). Richard was at the white board guiding budding entrepreneurs on all things webby, for free (Law of Giving and Receiving – more on that later). Long story short, he went above and beyond to get my ideas down, lit a fire for what was possible, and then…and then nothing. The time just wasn’t right. Fast forward two years, we reconnect – and hey presto yogalocal.co.uk is born. Cool. So what’s all this got to do with yoga?
Yoga practice reminds us that sometimes it’s not about forcing our way through life – into that peak pose, position, or place we think we should be, but more about timing and finesse. It teaches us to look to nature – you don’t see a flower forcing its way open right? It just opens. So let’s align with that force and see what happens. Find the lazy river that’s going your way, grab your floating doughnut, and enjoy the ride. Here are some tips on how.
- Accept.
Don’t struggle against what is. When we struggle against the moment we create resistance and turbulence in the mind and the body. In your yoga practice start to notice when you’re struggling and becoming frustrated. Realise it’s just creating tension that zaps your energy. Accept things, and yourself, as they are, not as you wish they were.
- Take responsibility.
So, your flexibility isn’t what it should be. Or you thought you’d be further ahead on a project than you actually are. Remember all the choices that got you to this point (like it or not) were yours, and you can make new choices to get you to where you are going in any moment. Don’t blame anyone or anything, including yourself, just be alert to the potential to make a change for the better
- Be defenceless.
How much energy does it take defending your point of view? Would you rather be happy, or right? Remain open to all points of view, and not be rigidly attached to anyone of them and commit to creating harmony.
Gutsy self-will and determination are all well and good, but can only get you so far in life. And it’s often at the expense of stress, ill health and dis-ease. How could you take the path of least resistance and allow effortless ease back into your life? Join the conversation. Leave a comment – or not.
