Life Unscripted

I believe in the Law of Attraction and focusing on things in order to bring them into your life. Despite this, I'm apprehensive about setting a specific course for my life. Often in a yoga class, a teacher will ask the students to set an intention for their practice. I always stop cold at this point and get a bit panicky, my mind wondering: "Why do I need to set an intention? Can't I just let this practice unfold as it's meant to?"

Author Clarissa Pinkola Estes says, "For one discovers all manner of useful things on their way to nowhere in particular." If I had chosen a specific path, then I would have been going SOMEWHERE, thereby missing all of the useful things that Estes is talking about. That's not to say that I don't choose certain things and then commit to them (can you say training?!?!?!). Still, I do like to keep my options open and see what comes up rather than planning out what I want to come up. The funny thing is -- when I do this, what typically comes up is even better than whatever I had in mind.

I find myself now at a place that looks completely unfamiliar. I originally thought that I was going to be doing something very different right now. Instead, here I am, stumbling upon a delightful surprise that's going to take my life in a totally different direction. If I had been set in my original plan, I might have passed this opportunity right on by.

This is a yoga blog after all, so let me relate this to my yoga practice. When I first started practicing, I was all about Vinyasa Flow. It was all I ever practiced -- whether my body wanted to or not. After being set in my choice of Vinyasa for about a year, my body started to rebel. I found myself awakening in the morning with no desire whatsoever to get onto my mat (unless, of course, I was going to lay in Savasana for the entire time!). I pushed myself, feeling pretty darned committed to my choice to practice Vinyasa. Then I played the "what if" game. I asked myself one morning: "What if I tried a different style of yoga?"

While that may seem like a logical question one would expect to ask after getting stale in his/her practice, it seemed like something radical to me. I decided to find out and that decision to drop my initial choice led me to a whole new world of yoga -- one where asana consisted of what my body was needing on a particular day rather than asana that I had chosen a year ago. My practice remains as such to this day -- I listen to my body and practice accordingly. Some days it's vigorous Vinyasa, other days it's active Kundalini, others it's gentle Kripalu. My intention, which used to be "practice Vinyasa," has morphed into, "honor my body."

Just as I like being surprised by my yoga practice, I like being surprised by the adventure that is my life. It's not always necessary to know where you're going. When you don't know, you tend to stop and admire the scenery a bit more. And when you explore the scenery, you may just find a surprise or two. Sure, my brain is a powerful tool that I can use to attract what I want. But sometimes when I let my life run its course I get something even better than I originally wanted. And that's the very best surprise of all.

Namaste!

Comments

[Stefanie Neuburger]

Ah, it's nice to read that others go through similar journeys. I completed yoga teacher training a few months back, and things have been changing so rapidly that finally I stopped fighting it and I'm just going with the flow. Sure, I have a general sense of direction, i.e. north-ish rather than south-ish, but it feels so wonderful to let things happen. My yoga practice is unfolding in all sorts of wonderous ways....
In regards to style, I've never been fond of sticking with one style throughout - afterall, people created the individual styles, therefore placing an opinion on yoga. If you combine the teachings, find what works for your mind/body/spirit, you'll find the practice that works best for you.
Enjoy the ride!
Namaste

[ron]

hey all u can find more about health & yoga at this link.
http://agamayoga.com/workshops/chiropractic.htm

good luck

[Frida]

Thanks, again! You could almost have been describing my journey with yoga. I also started with Astanga Vinyasa, taught in the classic style. I loved it but sometimes really struggled to motivated myself. Then I discovered that there is a world of different asanas, flows and styles. Now I practice according to what my body is ready for, what I crave and what I need.

I guess my life is like that too. Whenever I see people with these amazing highly developed life plans I think "that is so cool, good for her/him" - but I know it is not for me. I stumble across my dreams as I journey 'eyes wide open' and willing to consider even really unexpected possibilities. If I didn't I would not be in Afghanistan. That was not in my life plan. But here I am, and the next part of this journey is taking shape before my eyes and it is just as exciting as this part has been.

Thanks and keep flowing.