A Blissful Life 2/13/24: Be In Your Natural Flow

I invite you to take a few conscious breaths with me as you recenter in your body. Allow your presence to meet your living cells. This manifestation of “you” is completely unique. Everything in our universe, including the physical, is in constant motion. Our skin completely renews every 28 to 42 days. Even our bones renew every 5 to 10 years. Take a moment to land in your body. You have never been this before, and you will never be this again.

There is a quote I like, and I’m not sure who first said it. The first time I heard it was in a yoga class years ago with Denise Lee. It goes, “This is always the most exotic place you will ever be.” Take a deep breath and slowly read the following: “This moment is the most exotic place I will ever be.” Can you let this be true for you right now? Notice how this shift in perspective opens your senses and brightens your surroundings.

Even if you have lived similar moments, right now is completely new and utterly exotic. It has never happened before and it will never be repeated in the same way again. Your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual states are constantly evolving. The environment around you, which is an extension of you (or you an extension of it, depending on how you want to look at it), will also always be a little different. Think about it. How is this version of you here today different from the “you” ten years, five years, one year, one month, even one day ago?

Rumi writes, “Life is a balance of holding on and letting go.” Remembering that everything, including you and me, is in constant movement can make it easier for us to soften our rigid edges and let go when necessary. Think about the times in your life when you held on too long. A part of you knew it was time to make a change, but fear of the unknown kept you gripping tight. Recall how you felt in your body and mind. Now, skip to the part when you finally let go. What did that feel like?

If we hold on too long, the process of letting go can be traumatic, but eventually when things level out there is a wave of relief. When we use our efforts to clamp down on something that is not meant for us, we end up clamping down on all of our energies, which messes up our natural movement of lifeforce and throws our entire system off balance. Eventually, a strong force, that perhaps the mind perceives as external, will come in and ‘flush out’ the stuck energy, forcing the change that you could have freely made earlier on without the trauma.

On the other end of the spectrum, it is also important to know when to hold onto things. If we are too mutable, we lack foundation and can lose touch with the truth of who we are, what we want, why we’re here, and what we’re grateful for. So, like Rumi says, it’s a balance.

But, what do we do when we are not sure? What do we do when we know we need to let go, but we don’t quite know how? What do we do when we want to stabilize ourselves and grow some roots, but don’t know where to start? Helen Kilgallen once said in a yoga class, “If you can’t let it go, let it be.” I think “letting it be” is a great rule of thumb for when we are unsure. By this I mean: breathe deeply, slow down, and come into the present moment meeting yourself exactly where you are with kindness and compassion. Be humble and do not force. Ask questions without expectations. Listen and trust that your answers will come.

In conclusion, remember that big change often comes with some discomfort because we are moving a lot as we transition into a new way of being. If your intentions and efforts are aligned with your truth, stay focused and trust that you are leveling up, discovering greater happiness and wholeness, and finding a more embodied and authentic sense of comfort.

Come discover more at Ocean Bliss Yoga! Join Kathy Pastina on Wednesday, February 21st at 6:30pm for a specialty Yoga Nidra workshop. Discover and register for our full lineup of classes and offerings at oceanblissyoga.net. Questions? Call or text 917-318-1168.