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Stop living from habit, and start living from presence. If you're living from routine, from habit, from unconsciousness, choose instead to live in moment-to-moment awareness.
How? Question everything.
If you actually did this, questioned everything, every aspect of your life would change 180 degrees, guaranteed. Why? Because you'd be living an authentic life.
Who will actually do it, though? Who among us is brave enough to take the time to question why they do what they do? What are some of the consequences that might come up if actually did start to question everything?
Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." In yoga philosophy, svadhyaya (self-study, self-reflection, the study of sacred texts and applying them to your life) is the practice of introducing you to yourself.
Questioning everything means living your uniqueness. It feels good to be fully and completely yourself. Instead of doing things to make other people happy, do things that make you happy.
Even what I'm telling you here; don't take my word for it. Try it out for yourself, and prove to yourself whats best for you. I see this in class all the time, people blindly following whatever the teacher says, whether it's right for them or not. Don't be one of those people. Be someone who questions "Why am I doing it this way? Is there a better way for me at this time than what she is suggesting?"
Become a scientist and observe your life as one big science experiment. Perform scientific inquiry on your life, try out various scenarios, and record the results (also known as journaling). Keep experimenting and keep recording the results. What do you find?
When you're on your yoga mat, do you do the same variation of child's pose or downward facing dog each time? Why not mix it up? Try variety for variety's sake.
Question your attachment to your particular space on the studio floor. Is it really that important that you feel the need to defend it? If you have your favorite spot in class, try a different part of the room. You'll literally and figuratively gain a different point of view.
In Feng Shui they say that if you move 27 things in your environment, you'll have good fortune. Move your bed to the opposite wall whether it "goes" there or not. Try it anyway and see if it improves your sleep or creates other changes in your life. You can always move it back!
Why do you attend the groups that you do? What do you get out of it? Why do you keep going back? Is it out of habit or out of presence? Is the group an accurate reflection of who you are now, as opposed to who you used to be when you started with them?
Question how you use your time. Ask, "Is this the highest and best use of my time?" Maybe an activity was beneficial at one time, but has outgrown its welcome. Question if you can make better use of your time, talents and energy in ways that are honoring and nourishing on all levels.
By learning to question everything and living an authentic life, you let the world see the real "you." That takes courage! So take a couple of deep, yoga breaths to help you start.
Introduce you to yourself. You might like who you meet! But don't take my word for it. Try it out for yourself, and let the questions begin.
Namaste,
Debbie
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