Dearest souls,
This is one of the things I am constantly working on in my yoga practice + in my life in general. Like many of you I have big goals + dreams, so finding a balance between reaching for the stars + being grateful for what you have already can be tricky. It can be really easy to keep looking out for the next thing. Once you’ve achieved one of your goals they can become normalised. Years ago I would never have imagined that I could sell out a yoga workshop – but now when it happens after an initial rush of celebration + joy I find myself thinking ‘what next?’ straight away. This makes me laugh + I try to savour the feeling as much as possible, when I can.
I can also find myself feeling frustrated when things happen more slowly than I want them to. I can feel myself willing things to move faster. I get tunnel vision.
I think this is a human problem that never goes away. We often think the grass is greener, or if x happens then life will be better. In reality, life is this beautiful journey that we should try to be as present in as possible. Blink + you miss it.
For me, I try to use specific grounding practices to help bring me more into the moment + therefore be happy with what I have. I thought I’d share these with you.
Express gratitude
While I’m waking up in the morning I like to start my day with positive thoughts. I do this by gently waking up + mentally thinking about things that I’m grateful for. It’s a lovely way to wake up as it engages the mind + starts to gently allow it to let go of sleep, while also setting the tone for my day. I start the day by being happy with what I’ve already got – rather than worrying about what’s yet to come.
I extend this further when there are things in my life that seem to be generating stress or disappointment. For example, if a relationship with somebody isn’t going as well as I would like it to then I specifically focus on expressing 3 things I am grateful for about them. I do this every day until I feel at peace with the relationship or another solution to the problem comes to me. It helps to keep me in balance + not be impatient. It helps me to realise that good + bad are not separate, they sometimes come in one bundle + it’s down to me to identify the good + find a perspective that helps me move forward.
Form rituals
Sometimes when I am really impatient for change, I just need to get into a different mindset. I find rituals really useful for this because you don’t have to think, you just do them. I wake up every morning + the first thing I do is mentally vibrate my gratitudes. Then I do 30 minutes of exercise. It can be anything – yoga, aerobics, whatever I feel like doing – but it’s always 30 minutes. Then I prepare my food for the day + take a shower after a body scrub. In the evening before I go to bed, I practice a short ten minute bedtime yoga set.
When our emotions run away with us – grounding rituals can be essential to bringing us back down to the ground. A moment of fleeting impatience can ruin a whole day if you can’t identify that it is, just that, fleeting. Rituals re-centre you and help bring you into the moment. They are also so enjoyable + familiar that they are in themselves reasons to be grateful.
Reflect
When I look back to where I was one year ago – freshly qualified as a yoga teacher without the vaguest idea about how to set up a business – I realise how far I’ve come. The desire to be anywhere other than where I am, is reduced. I realise that in a year’s time I will look back with the same wonder at how far I’ve come. I might still feel that compulsion to do better, to move faster, but I can harness that + use it to drive me forward. Looking at where I’ve been gives me a great deal of hope for where I’m going.
You can look at this in even the smallest of ways. If a year ago you couldn’t find time to exercise, but you now manage a ten minute walk 3 times a week – that’s real progress. Count the smallest of things, each of them is a little step on your journey towards living the life of your dreams. Reflecting reminds you that you are living the life of your dreams NOW, regardless of how slowly it’s happening. It’s in the making. When you do this you can often be inspired to think of other little steps that get you where you want to be, that you hadn’t considered before.
So share with me lovelies, what do you do to help you be happy with what you have while working for what you want? Do you express gratitude? What rituals do you use to centre yourself? How often do you reflect on just how fabulously you’ve done?
Share with me lovelyhearts, let’s all be as happy as we can with what we’ve got + cheer each other on to what we want.
Love + Light,
Raeeka
xo
P.S. If you need help reflecting then I can’t wait to share the Create Your Blissful 2015 e-book with you in January as a part of the LoveMindBodyHeart-Life subscription! It’s the perfect tool for reflecting, planning + taking action.
P.P.S. if you are local to Berkhamsted + a lovely lady, don’t forget you can still sign up for my yoga nidra 3 week course starting on 18th November. If you need a way to relax + give yourself space to be grateful then