Whether we want it or not, change surrounds us. It lives within us. Change makes our lives fun, interesting and oftentimes challenging. Birth, daily living and death are all events that provoke change. Sometimes we proactively create change; other times we simply react to it. Regardless, change is a constant in life.
Many times we can’t control change and it isn’t always positive, though you do have a choice as to how you react to it. Resisting change can usually negatively heighten the situation. Being open to it can be transforming.
How can one go from one extreme to the other (resistance to openness)? Or better yet, how can one find balance? Slow down. Step back and consider the “change event” at hand. Get on the yoga mat or meditation cushion and sit with it. Pay attention to the clues and subtle shifts that change offers.
Slowing down —whether you do yoga, mediate, tai chi or simply opt for long walks— provides an awareness of the constant flow of change within and around us. By slowing down you’ll start to find balance between making changes and accepting/and or rejecting changes. Time on your yoga mat will grant you opportunities to check in with how you view and react to every change that each moment offers. Do you resist, judge reluctantly accept, or willingly receive change? Depending on the “change” event, your answer will be different.
Yoga (or whatever your “slowing down” activity of choice is) doesn’t mean you’ll be a push-over or that you’ll push others over. Change or no change, yoga will make you stronger and more intuitive to know what is right for you. Whatever the situation, it’s in your control to decide if and how you’ll accept, reject, question or believe in every “change” that happens in your life. Life is full of change so learn to manage it so that you can find a way to enjoy whatever comes your way.