responding vs. reacting: an act of re-framing
What have you found challenging this week? How did you respond?
If you’re like me, you might find yourself shying away from change, from the potential of the unfamiliar. We as humans are programmed to gravitate towards what feels comfortable, safe, known. But...
If you’re reaching for something you’ve never had, you will need to do something you’ve never done.
It doesn't need to be a major change. There are ways of re-framing a familiar situation, establishing a new ritual to shift a stagnant habit, perhaps a new route to walk to work.
The more we step towards the unknown, the better we learn to stay when we meet uncertainty. The more truthfully we can observe, recognise and allow our responses to unfold, the stronger we become.
This is yoga: the ability to inhabit the fullness of now, and all that is here.
Regardless of what shapes we make, what challenges and thoughts are showing up on the yoga mat, it is all a way to train ourselves to be right here, to face the mirror of the moment.
And perhaps... to see with new eyes, rather than trying to change what we cannot control.
Find expansiveness, by looking past the little twists and bumps in the road. See instead the magnificence of the mountain, the ocean, the forest that surrounds you. Trials are what make us more resilient; don't let them take away the sensation of crisp fresh air and soft grass as you walk your path.
Look past the tea that’s not quite hot enough, the traffic light that keeps turning red, the cashier who didn’t smile back. The present moment is a gift, a small token in a much bigger picture. We can all choose to practice letting go, so we can graciously receive all that is here, already.
So - what is it you found challenging this week, and how will you respond?
xx Lucy