Dear Yogis,
Recently I was scrolling through old videos of my life and this deep nostalgia overtook me. My mind instantly went to “wouldn’t it be great if things never changed?”, “Wouldn’t it be great if things were like that moment?”.
I soon came to realize this is a trap of the mind. Yoga philosophy teaches that there is an illusion of permanence in life. An expectation that things should and could stay the same. Yet reality shows that everything here is always changing.
Despite knowing that, we still hold onto the past tightly, like trying to hold the water in your hands while swimming through it- this behavior will definitely cause you to drown.
This human experience is defined by how we relate to inevitable change. That is what will forecast our level of suffering in life. Sometimes we look to the past to see who we were then and try to drag them forward into now. But, every seven years your body has completely new cells, atoms, and pretty much everything! All the time our mind and brain changes for good reason!
We may try to be that old version of ourselves again but this moment in time requires this version of us.
How many times do you look at some version of yourself and wish you could go back? Like maybe when you were on a strict diet for 6 months and “it worked amazing”, so ever since then, you’ve been trying to replicate it to no avail?
Or maybe you were the people pleaser and you shoved your feelings down. Now that you’ve unmuted yourself, it’s harder because you have to navigate new conversations. Change is inherently uncomfortable so you think “Maybe life was easier when I didn’t say anything.”
This is one reason we may get stuck in how to move forward, to make new goals/resolutions, to direct our lives a certain way. Because we get stuck on a past version of ourselves that was made for THEN. We are a new version of ourselves, built perfectly for this brand new NOW.
Dr. Joe Dispenza talks about the river we have to pass over as we create new habits and neural connections which leads to the new life we are manifesting.
When we move from how we were then to who we will become next, we have to literally grow new parts of our brain. There is a river of discomfort, unknowing, and fear that needs to be crossed to build the brain (and person) that you will become. That is uncomfortable, so it makes sense why we crave for things to stay the same.
What is familiar is more comfortable even if way worse than the incredible future waiting for you.
What is beautiful is we don’t actually have to worry about the future as much as we do. Because you will always become the version of yourself (as uncomfortable as that process may be) who will be perfectly suited to meet those future moments.
Ishvara Pranidhana means to surrender to the flow of the divine consciousness. How I view this is letting yourself float on the river to get to the other side of yourself. Rather than drowning in it. Giving yourself the grace of trust in yourself which will bring a sense of ease. Rather than trying to grip the water the whole way to the other side.
So as you create your goals and aspirations for 2024, I encourage you to recognize that what you need will be at your disposal, trust the innate wisdom of your body, your mind, your humanity, your consciousness. If you relax enough, and listen inwardly, if you become aware and attentive to the present moments you inhabit, you will recognize you are already whole, already perfect, already all you need.
The process of growth, healing, learning, enlightenment will all happen whether you are moving through it with gritted teeth or a relaxed smile. It’s all in your power to choose.
Please join us in class, on your mat for a year full of growth and possibility. Your teachers are here for you with all the tools you will need for your inner unfoldment as we collectively manifest a brighter future for all through the work we do for ourselves in yoga.
Happy and Healthy New Year!
Peace and Love,
Amanda and the good folks at Revolution Yoga
Originally shared in our January 2024 newsletter.