Allow distractions to flow through

Image by HanPaul via Pinterest

Hello again,

I was have a little lie down today, striving for a little rest/stillness/silence. I could hear my children, who were playing in another room start to have a little argument. Of course, my immediate reaction was to be annoyed, to feel resentment etc etc. However, I have been practicing and teaching that when meditating, to accept the outside noises, to allow them to flow through me rather than resisting them, wishing they weren’t there or trying to change them. Perhaps even seeing them as perfectly placed elements to help us to learn how to meditate.

Yoga teachers often say that what we practice during yoga can be taken off the mat and into our day to day lives. In this case, can we look at unwanted events in a similar way? Instead of wishing they didn’t happen, trying to resist them or change them, can we allow them to flow through us? Can we notice how we feel about them, name the emotion and have awareness? Perhaps even here we can consider that they too are a perfectly placed element to teach us something? 

As I write this I don’t for a moment want you to think I am anywhere near this enlightened! Lord knows (actually make that my husband/siblings/parents!) That I find this a hard one. However if it were easy then we probably wouldn’t have to practice it :)

What I do like to consider is that these little lessons we take from a simple yoga or meditation practice really can teach us so much more about how we approach life. 

And once again, the best way to have more of this awareness is by moving into a parasympathetic state. To reset our nervous systems so we can be less reactive and have more empathy. And as you guessed- gentle asana, meditation, breathwork and restorative yoga are all excellent ways to do this.

Love Sarah.

PS, I need to tell you that just then the universe gave me an opportunity to practice this! As I pressed ‘send’ my email software gave me an error message and my letter didn’t save, meaning I had to start from scratch. Of course I cursed and felt defeated for a moment but with the message fresh in my mind I carried on. And perhaps this second copy was the better one after all.

Thank you so much for reading.
Here are some ways we can connect.

- Join me for a yoga weekend in Yamba this July 1st, 2nd, 3rd. I have two spots left.

- Join me online in my member area for some gentle guided asana, yin yoga and breathwork. You can try free for 14 days.

- I am (occasionally!) on instagram and resolving to post more often.