Many of us have the tendency to look to the outside, for a ‘magic cure’, to seek solutions that are ideally easy, painless and quick to solve our problems . And you may find something that will temporarily fix whatever you thought needed fixing. But over time, you may discover that something deeper down is still crying out for attention and the problem(s) returns in the same or modified form. Sometimes it is not until we hit a ‘crisis point’ that lifts us up and sends us crashing down to face whatever we needed to face. Maybe it’s something within ourselves, our relationship, our occupation or how we portray ourselves to the outside world; in the long-term there is no avoiding it, if we want to keep our sanity and evolve and prosper as a human being.
So why is it so hard for many of us to confront these issues whether they are prior sanskaras or our true self (soul), trying to expose itself after years of conditioning? Often it is associated with the fear of being thrown out of our comfort zone; and maybe this is exactly what we need to do purposely: Put ourselves into situations that make us feel a bit like a fish out of water, so that we can face future challenges with a bit more equanimity rather than hitting the ‘panic’ button.
For example, when we are rock-climbing, fears can sometimes naturally bring about a real sense of potentially falling – and sometimes we actually do! – but does that mean that only because there is the chance of falling, that we stop climbing? No, not if you love what you are doing; but rock-climbing, similar to yoga, doesn’t allow you to close your eyes before the potential challenges! But when we practice becoming acquainted with this fear of the unknown, we can use it to develop a one-pointed focus, rather than a state of paralysis or depression. This is also akin to living in the present moment: by not allowing our minds to trick us into dwelling on past pains or conjuring up thoughts of what may occur in the future.
While yoga is not a magic wand to take away your problems, it can put you on the path of self-inquiry because over time stuck emotional energy (often manifested as physical stiffness or anxieties) gets released and the proverbial ripples of the mind calm down to let you take the necessary actions.
Reaching this point often spells the end of the yoga journey for a lot of people because it is too scary, confronting or painful with these ‘issues’ (sanskaras). But sticking with it will put you on a path towards living truthfully with yourself and the outside world.
You are not here by accident: you came to join the yoga journey with us for a reason and you are reading this blog for a reason. And maybe the dedication to 40 days of changing your life is what you decide to do!
We certainly look forward to our own journey for the next 40 days (and beyond) and look forward to sharing this with you.
Namaste,
Evelyn and Andrew
