Embracing change as the seasons shift

We’ve all noticed a shift in the air as we move towards autumn. The air is changing and there is a new sense of anticipation. It’s that back to school time, which this year brings another element of uncertainty as we manage our lives alongside lockdown. 

As the seasons change our bodies also change, moving with the seasons to create balance within us. We can find this reflected in our energy levels and mood as we move from one state into the next. You may have a renewed sense of drive and energy, you may feel unsettled and lethargic, or perhaps you swing between the two. 

This month we’re focusing on our yoga practice as a grounding force for times of transition and change and tapping into our creative energy, harnessing the power of possibility to think about intentions we want to set for the season ahead. 

One of the benefits of our yoga practice is we can come to our mat feeling one way and leave feeling different - open, calmer, transformed in some way. These small shifts help to show us that change is not only possible, but inevitable. That whatever emotional state or situation we are in, it will not last forever. 

The idea of making life changes in the midst of global crisis and uncertainty may seem overwhelming, even pointless. However, if we re-set our expectations, the potential to make small change is still possible. Any small change leads to more change. The cumulative effect of making gradual, small shifts in a different direction is powerful. 

The second sacral chakra holds the key to unlocking and harnessing the energy you need to be creative and to make change happen. Our ability to adapt and flow with our lives is connected to this energy, as well as how we manage our emotions. 

Here are five ways to embrace change and creativity in your practice this month.

Practice: Body scan relaxation

Body scan relaxation 

This guided mindfulness practice will ground and relax your body from head to toe. During this body scan meditation you will bring your awareness to points in your body, noticing different sensations as you mentally scan down from head to toe. This practice will help you let go of tension, calm your mind and feel more rested.

Acceptance in difficult times

“And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today.

When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation — some fact of my life — unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. 

Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God’s world by mistake.”

- Acceptance Prayer from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

My thanks to Gabby Bernstein for sharing these words. I’ve returned to them often over the last few strange weeks of lockdown and injury. Layering resistance on top of difficult situations leads only to more suffering. Trying to find peace with, and through, our challenges is the only way of ensuring our energy is used positively and for the benefit of others.

Press pause on 2019 and ask yourself these 5 questions

As we dive into the craziness of the festive season and head rapidly towards the end of 2019, I invite you to take a brief pause and consider what the year (or even the decade) has meant for you. Thinking back to January feels like a lifetime ago and I’ve no doubt there will have been highs and lows over the last 12 months. It’s time to celebrate the things we did well and also acknowledge our challenges and what we learned. So make yourself a cuppa, open your journal (or grab a friend to chat through together) and ask yourself these five questions:

·     What did you create, achieve or make happen in 2019?

·     What made you most happy and most proud this year?

·     What was your biggest or most unexpected challenge?

·     What new things did you discover about yourself?

·     What are you grateful for?

New year reflections can help you bring the old year to a close and move into the new year feeling strong, hopeful and focused. I’d love to hear what came up for you – click here to give me an update!  

Struggling with gratitude lists... try this instead

I discovered this exercise on Greater Good in Action, a brilliant resource for mindfulness and wellbeing.

The exercise helps you increase feelings of gratitude for positive events in your life by visualising what your life would be like without them. Designed to be done weekly, the exercise invites you to focus on a positive event in your life, such as the birth of a child, meeting a special friend or partner or a career achievement, and then imagine how your life would be different if this event hadn’t happened . By getting a taste of how things would be different with out them, you are able to appreciate their presence in your life more deeply.

Read how to do the exercise step by step here:

Mental Subtraction of Positive Events (Greater Good in Action) https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/mental_subtraction_positive_events

Journaling tip: Your daily greatness

What's the greatest thing you did today? I borrowed this tip from a talk by John Parkin, as a twist on gratitude journaling.

At the end of every day, call out or write down 3 to 5 things that you did well or that you're proud of. It doesn't have to be huge accomplishments (although it can be)... maybe you had a really productive morning and finished that presentation you've been putting off writing, or raised a great point that no one else had thought of in a meeting, or invited a new colleague to have lunch together. Just mentally run through a few things - big or small - that you did well and deserve a little pat on the back for. 

To start with it might feel weird to be self-congratulatory or you might find it hard to think of things, but persevere - it's a nice way to end the day on a high and balance out our natural tendency to focus on the things we did less well at and replace them with a more positive perspective. 

Try it for yourself! What 3 things did you do well today?