The movement of change

In a world that often presents us with uncertainty and a feeling of chaos, one thing we can certain of is change. Even when we go through periods of stagnancy or feeling stuck, we can be sure that sooner or later something will shift, and  this will enable movement. Sometimes we become aware that we have been preventing change from occurring by various mental attachments to people, places, perceptions of who we are and who we want to be, while other times it seems as if changes are happening to us, without us having any influence or participation. When we are connected to those around us and have a sense of where we are going, our movement can feel fluid and light, like being propelled through space and time, but when there is a disconnect, life can feel like a struggle, the body often becoming a literal battlefield of held tension and emotion. Whatever our perceptions are of the changes happening in our lives, we can be sure that change is happening from the outside – in and inside – out all the time. We are all going through our unique developmental process.

As we travel through the space-time continuum, we each have a unique and variable rhythm.  When we are in-synch with someone or something, we feel connected and confident, fluid and at ease. This sense affirms who we are and what we perceive to be true in the world. Sometimes our rhythm doesn’t align to  those important to us. It can be confusing when we find that a person who seemed to resonate with us previously is no longer in harmony. When we feel we’ve outgrown a person or a philosophical ideal, often we refer to ourselves as ‘evolving’, but what does this mean?

When we learn about evolution in school, we are taught an idea of a linear process changing over a long period of time involving the change in inherited genetic code over generations. Embryology, another change process, refers to the changes occurring in the Ovum from fertilization until the fetus stage of human development. The latter process is integrated rather than linear, complete and connected rather than individualized, and rapid as opposed to slow. These differing philosophies offering varied lenses for understanding change in our own lives; evolution, looking at the individualization and differentiation of a species; and embryology, illustrating the connective flow of development as a sense of wholeness and completeness.

When we experience change, sometimes we feel ourselves outgrowing old paradigms in our lives. Certain people, labels or organisations, like clothing, may begin to feel tight or outdated. This can feel uncomfortable, and even lead us to question ourselves. The people we surround us with, our job title, the clothing we wear all help to build our persona – who the outside world knows us to be, and who we limit ourselves to being. When one or several of those things change or dissolve, we have an opportunity to expose more of our potential, who we really are. As exciting as this sounds, it can also be intimidating, as often we don’t truly know.

To combat the not knowing, we often ‘evolve’ from one thing to another. Our culture asks that we always know where we are, whether it is by defining our relationships, moving from job to job like stepping stones on a road map, or moving from location a to location b because of reasons that we can clearly justify. From an early age we are told to ‘specialize’, and far too often families with more than one offspring label the children; one sibling is good with maths, the other with paints, and from there the false concepts of who we are told to be play their own role in who we become. Other reality suggests that we all have multiple potentials. The moment we have fixed a point on the horizon or a definition of where and who we are, our scope of who we might be narrows. Realistically, we are available to change all the time, and all around us changes.

In my own life, the challenge is to stay afloat in the sea of the unknown. I continue to change and witness all around me changing, sometimes the flow is synchronized, and other times is out of synch or seemingly random. The ebb and flow of energy and emotion moves at a rapid rate, interconnecting seemingly disparate entities into a rich complete universe where we are far more like a single, whole embryo splitting, subdividing and mutating, than a linear, compartmentalized species designed for specialization. Without the labels, without the need to prove we know anything, we have far more potential to learn about ourselves and others than we do when attached to the constructs of the mind. Freedom is in the movement of change.

7 Little Things That Make Life Effortless Post written by Leo Babauta.

Life can be a huge struggle, most of the time, and for years it was a struggle for me.
I’ve gradually been learning what causes that struggle, and what works in making life easier, better, smoother.
Life can feel effortless, like you’re gliding along, if you learn to swim smoothly, to glide, to stop fighting the waters of life and start using them to buoy you up.
I stopped thrashing and fighting, and started gliding and enjoying the swim.

I’ve written a new book on this topic, called The Effortless Life, which I should be publishing digitally next week. Some interesting things about this book:
It was written publicly, on a public Google Doc, while the world watch. That was tremendously fun — normally writing is a solitary act, but with technology I was able to make it a public act.
I allowed the world to edit it, as I wrote. That was incredibly scary, giving up control as a writer. When I was done, I had written it in a blur, as everyone edited it … and so I had no idea what changes had been made. I thought I should figure out what changes were made, and whether to keep them or not … but then I just decided to go with the wisdom of the crowd, and kept it as is.
It’s a compendium of some of the most important things I’ve been learning recently. It builds on some of the things from my previous books, The Power of Less and Focus, but takes them further.
I will allow readers to buy it at any price you like. I will set up a donation model — pay what you think it’s worth, and what you can afford.
More about this later. For now, I thought I’d share a few things you can do today, to make life feel more effortless.
Take what you want from this list. I find these things work, but your mileage will vary.
1. Do less. This is my productivity mantra, and it’s counterintuitive. I actually don’t believe in productivity, but instead believe in doing the important things. Do less, and you’ll force yourself to choose between what’s just busywork, and what really matters. Life then becomes effortless, as you accomplish big things while being less busy.
2. Having less is lighter. Start asking yourself if you really need everything you have, or if you just have it out of fear. Start to let go of what you have, so it doesn’t own you. And then, as you have less, you feel lighter. It’s wonderful.
3. Let the little things go. People who struggle often fight over little things. We obsess over things that don’t really matter. We create resistance instead of letting things glide off us. Let the little things go, breathe, and move on to the important things.
4. Clean as you go. I haven’t written about this for a long time, but early in the life of Zen Habits I wrote about the habit of cleaning as you go. Instead of letting the cleaning pile up, put things away when you’re done. Wash your bowl. Wipe the counters clean as you pass them. Sweep up dirt when you notice it. By cleaning a little bit at a time, as you make messes, cleaning up becomes a breeze, and it’s never difficult. By the way, this applies to everything in life, not just cleaning.
5. Make small, gradual changes. Most people are too impatient to follow this advice — they want to do everything at once. We have so many changes to make, but we don’t want to wait a year for it all to happen. As a result, we often fail, and then feel crappy about it. Or we don’t start at all, because so many big changes is intimidating and overwhelming. I’ve learned the hard way that small changes are incredibly powerful, and they last longer. Gradual change leads to huge change, but slowly, and in a way that sticks. And it’s effortless.
6. Learn to focus on the things that matter. This is implied in the items above, but it’s so important I have to emphasize it. Swimming (or any physical activity for that matter) is best done when you do only the motions that matter, and eliminate the extraneous motions. Stop thrashing, start becoming more efficient and fluid. You do this by learning what matters, and cutting out the wasted activity.
7. Be compassionate. This makes dealing with others much more effortless. It also makes you feel better about yourself. People like you more, and you improve the lives of others. Make every dealing with another human being one where you practice compassion.

POSTED: 10.10.2011

Practicing non attachment…in action

The past couple of years have been a continuation of a long transformation process for me, made more dramatic by the birth of my son, a few life threatening health incidents, and changes in my practice and satsang. Looking back, it is easy to see that everything happened exactly as it should have to deliver me into this moment, sitting under the shelter of an expansive fig tree with the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the ever-present Provence breeze. An angelic friend of mine often reminds me that everything works out as it should in life; more smoothly, more organically, when we let go of the reigns of our mind and let events and circumstance slip into their own place. This is a guiding principle of my practice.

However, there are moments in life when activation is necessary. Just as in the asana practice when we let the breath carry our practice while we control the breath, body and mind, in life too there is a balance between the elements we control, and those we release from our grip.

I have thought countless times about how much in life to let go of, and how much to actively pursue or plan, and will undoubtedly continue to ponder this for a long time to come. For now, I’ve come to believe that mindfulness, self-observation and the questioning of intent can help to guide the way. I’m not speaking of the type of planning involved for an activity or event. I’m more interested in observing and exploring the letting go of or manipulation of relationships. Ultimately its all about the relationship with the self, and secondarily how we relate to others.

Here is an example. Suppose a colleague, and someone you considered a friend, has been speaking poorly about you behind your back. You have some things you are working on together, so simple avoidance isn’t an option. Do you confront the person, and if so, why? Or do you let the situation go, continuing on in the relationship as if unaware?

It’s my belief that if one looks deeply into why the negative words were spoken — is there a truth to what was said? Were the words said for the benefit of you, or some reason beyond boosting the speaker’s ego? Is there a reason they weren’t said directly to you? — then this line of question and observation can help to guide the intent of a reaction. What would the purpose of a confrontation be — to redeem oneself? To cause the other harm as their words may have caused you? To clear the air? To reassert one’s integrity?

As someone who used to jump the gun and think that everything could be ‘fixed’ through an honest heart to heart chat, I have learned through experience that we never really know what is going on in another person’s mind or heart. We don’t have the ability to see eye to eye with everyone, and prior to engaging with someone who has said or done something malicious, it is wise to know one’s purpose of discussion. If the goal is anything other than beneficial to both parties, then it’s probably not worth it. As good as it may feel in the moment to cause harm to someone who has in some way caused harm to you, this never ends in a good way. If the purpose is meant to bring about a positive resolution then it could be worthwhile, even if this may mean saying goodbye to the relationship.

With every goodbye comes a new opportunity for a hello; an opportunity to build a healthy relationship based on mutual respect and sharing of truths.

What’s in a name?

I was asked today whether if given the choice, if I would prefer that yoga classes not be named (Jivamukti, Dharma Mittra, Astanga, etc). Interesting question, as all yoga asana leads the practitioner to ‘the One’ Yoga, but still, I didn’t have to think long before responding ‘no’. Naming yoga classes serve a purpose for students as well as the teacher.

For a student, placing a label on a yoga class can give an indication of what to expect from the class. Will there be a brief shavasana after every pose? Will there be music? Chanting? Sweat? Holding the postures for a long time? A focus on a specific area of the body or a general well rounded class of diverse postures? Will the same postures be practiced in the same order in every class, or will they be different from class to week? There are a many elements that differentiate one class from another.

For the teacher, it can serve to remind them of honouring their lineage; what are the main aspects of the particular method that make it unique from other practices? If the original teachers of the yoga school were in the room, would they be satisfied that this class could be held as an example of their teachings?

Of course, a label is based in language, and the semantics of language has a subjective element to it – we each bring our own perspective of the words into account. More importantly, no two teachers, or students are identical. One Astanga teacher may be terse and egotistical, another may be compassionate and nurturing.

At the end of the day, what the teacher and student bring to the class together as authentic and unique becomes the true vehicle for experiencing Yoga….but labels can sure help to break the ice….

A reason, a season, a lifetime

I’ve always been in awe of those yogis who have had their Gurus magically appear for them, showing up in all different forms at the right time to shine a light on the yogi’s practice. I spent many years seeking this type of relationship, but as much as I tried to present myself to my key teachers as a ready and able disciple, no force, human or other, appeared in quite the way I envisioned.

Don’t get me wrong; I have and have had some amazing teachers in my life and consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have studied with whom I consider some of the best yoga teachers of my time. Students constantly inspire and challenge me, and countless other extraordinary beings contribute to making my daily life mentally stimulating and enchanting. I’ve even had moments questioning whether or not those teachers are my Gurus…but somehow my lack of certainty has stifled the mere possibility. You see, my concept of Guru is bigger than my mental ability to second guess, or analyze the nature of the relationship. I always figured that if and when it happened, I would just know, kind of like falling in love, or meeting a soul mate.

Maybe I have had an idyllic picture in my head of how it would be to have a Guru. I’ve envisioned a special relationship, one that is tremendous effort but incredibly rewarding. A relationship based on trust and deep understanding, enriching one’s knowledge and acceptance of a larger self- one that is interconnected with all beings and limitless. In fact, what I’m describing sounds a lot like the relationship I have developed with myself by means of practicing yoga.

Teachers are fundamental in accepting one’s self unconditionally. To have the blind faith in another being needed to develop the surrendering fully of one’s energy and intention instills both humility and confidence, enabling a progression outside of one’s daily drama and into the interconnectedness of all beings.

My experience has been that teachers come in and out of our lives in waves. When we are open to it, the possibilities for learning are limitless. As we ebb and flow and continuously transform, our influences are also likely to change. It is only the teacher that accepts us unconditionally who can nurture us over a lifetime. Is the one guru, like the only true asana, the Self?