Flowing with Life

You can learn a great deal about flowing with life from your garden hose. If you turn the water on, it flows and expands, but if you step on the hose, pressing down with all your strength, you will see what resistance can do. No matter how much you will it to flow, until you remove the resistance, it will not flow. That is what we often do when we have something challenging going on in our life. We do everything not to feel and block the natural flow of emotions. The more we resist, the more stuck we feel. Our bad feelings won’t go away just because we try to block them, they only fester. “What we resist persists.” (Carl Jung)  Resistance causes us to disconnect from our bodies and the present moment. It takes away any chance of things changing for the better.

It is a human phenomenon that we will go to great lengths not to feel pain. We sometimes over-indulge with eating, drinking, sex, shopping, etc…so that we can distract our minds momentarily only to create something else to feel bad about.  Whenever I find myself going through a challenging period, not knowing what to do, I do nothing. When the waters of life get muddy, allowing time to be still helps the water become clear again. Practicing the art of being and remembering to breathe has become a natural choice for me now because it works! You need to be willing to be with whatever is going on emotionally. If you feel afraid, ask “why am I afraid?” Remembering that Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real… we can begin to see the truth of the situation.

Sometimes we experience an emotional state like depression or sadness that seems to be disconnected with the current circumstances in our life. If you are ready to be with it, take a few deep belly breaths and ask: “What is this ____ about?” You might be surprised by what comes up for you. Allow yourself to feel the physical sensations in your body, then the emotions; the sadness, disappointment, anger, whatever comes up…. Give yourself permission to be absolutely present for all of it, step off the emotional hose to allow it to flow and wash over you.  Keep practicing this and stay connected to your breathing. The breath is the bridge to our emotional instrument. From there we can connect with ourselves in a very intimate and powerful way. Once you really feel the emotion fully, you can experience a deep inner peace. As we take responsibility for our part in a situation, avoiding the blaming game, we can find the gift and opportunities from this challenge. This gives us the ability to navigate our actions from an empowered place with love and gratitude. It IS simple but not easy…. It can take days, weeks, or months of daily practice to get there. Sometimes, it takes the help of a coach or therapist. I have found that with my clients, I can assist them in following through beyond where they might be able to on their own. When we can’t see through the fog of our emotions, having someone to remind us that the shore is near can make a huge difference. The more we practice this, the easier it gets. It’s important to not set expectations or judgments but to be present and accept “what is” and let go of how we think it should be.

The ability to embrace and accept ourselves for who we are is one of the most healing acts of self-love. Our bodies can be a great mirror of what is going on inside. We can experience it in our Yoga practice, when we feel tightness in our body. We can make peace with it by listening and asking: “What is this about? What am I resisting?” Through breathing and being present, observe what comes up for you. As the body relaxes, the tension in our body and our mind eases.  As we become more present, loving and accepting of ourselves, other things in our life begin to change as well. The fact is that everything in life is impermanent. Trying to keep everything the same can be very costly to our wellbeing. Looking at the animal kingdom, one of the main causes of extinction is the inability to cope with change. Flowing with Life is one of the best preventative medicines to maintain a healthy body and mind. It is also a key to Living a JoyFull Life. Remember to take time to Breathe!

© Louise Lavergne 2001-2011 www.joyfull-yoga.com; 899-0707 Louise is a JoyFull living coach, Motivational speaker & owns JoyFull Yoga LLC in Jacksonville. She offers group & private sessions here and across North America.