A Season of Change

The first six months of this year have been nothing more and nothing less than a sea of change for me and a legion of other souls...

This morning, the river was calm, if not slightly swollen from the recent rains. I did my practices, and watched a kayaker launch into the river, and another man play with his yellow lab. The dog romped about and splashed in and out of the river, occasionally swimming in to retrieve twigs at various times.

It was one of those breathtaking beautiful mornings where I enjoyed a cup of Lavazza, an Italian espresso, that had been shipped to me from Greece earlier this week. Isn't it amazing that we live in a world where we find what we want online - and someone will send it to you from another corner of the world? I had been in search of Lavazza coffee pods for my Seneo machine, which seems to have become obsolete. It delivers a cup of espresso with a taste and crema only experienced in Europe. But I digress!

As I did my Reiki and Lovingkindness meditations, I reflected on the events of the last week in my life, and the last six months as well.

Those of you that have read my posts this year, know about the turmoil experienced in my yoga community. Yesterday, things seemed to come to a head somewhat, and also seemed to confirm what many already knew - nothing would really change - and nothing would ever be the same...

Some changes in our life come about because we choose them. Others - are imposed upon us. Yet, how we deal with those changes are entirely up to us.

The events in my yoga community were the catalyst for many changes - unwanted for many. These changes affected livelihoods, fractured a global community, and ended relationships. Many of these were out of our immediate control. But again, what we chose to do with these unsolicited or undesired changes, is something else entirely. And those choices were as varied as the people themselves...

One of the things I have realized through all of this experience is that you cannot depend on others for the things that should be important. We have within us, an infinite ability to become, to do, and to make a difference. We have within us, an infinite capacity to transcend, to love, and to be compassionate...

As I have navigated through this sea of change, I have felt drawn to journey more deeply within. I have moved away from the practice and teaching of asana as something central in my life - to more meditative practices. I have been drawn to greater simplicity by letting go of many material possessions and lightening my load and footprint. I have spent less time online, and more time reading books the old fashioned way. I have chosen to withdraw from the drama of the events as well...

This was a week of other changes for me. A wake up call following lab results made me realize I needed to make changes immediately in my lifestyle to reverse certain trends. My own health concerns led to let go of a beloved teaching opportunity and its long commute to simplify my life.

At this point, I cannot say what the future will hold. I just know it is evolving to be very different than what I had initially anticipated for the year...

A couple of days ago, I wrote to a dear soul companion, that I felt my two greatest lessons right now were acceptance and surrender. And these are not not easy lessons at all! But now is the time to learn what I must. There is no other moment...

I end this, with some quotes on trusting that appeared in my inbox this morning, and which seem so appropriate for me at this juncture in my life:

"I never know what the next lesson is going to be, because we're not supposed to know' we're supposed to trust ourselves to discover it."
~ Melody Beattie

"I trust so much in the power of the heart and the soul; I know that the answer to what we need to do next is in our own hearts. all we have to do is listen, then take that one step further and trust what we hear. We will be taught what we need to learn."
~ Melody Beattie

"Ultimately, we must learn to trust ourselves. When we do this intimately and intelligently, the world opens full of meaning before us. We find that we ourselves are the doorway to a fathomless understanding of the source of life itself. We need only to learn to walk through it."
~ James Thornton

Comments

Anonymous said…
It's a month later. I hope there's some joy in the chosen changes. Some comfort in processes, maybe some results, too.
I hope you are able to improve your health. Sorry to hear about problems in you yoga community. Your words have inspired others to improve, therefore some positive flow should return to you. I'll ask Lakishmi Devi to send you a boon.
- Mike Garofalo, Cloud Hands
Olga Rasmussen said…
Thank you Michael! Your comments are much appreciated! Blessings, Olga

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