"People in the West are always getting ready to live."

Chinese Proverb.

‍

Do you ever feel like you're getting ready?  Getting ready for the next event, end of the year, Christmas, Summer?  I re-read some of the pages of one of my favourite books this month - The Yamas and Niyamas, by Deborah Adele.  It's the perfect book to sit on your bedside table or coffee table; open to any page for some beautiful wisdom.  She eloquently explains with relatable stories the meaning of The Yamas & Niyamas.  These are are the first 2 limbs of the 8 limbs of yoga; which  is a foundational framework for living a balanced and harmonious life.  Very old wisdom past down.  They were outlined in an ancient text dating back to around 400 AD; the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.  

Santosha, is one of the Niyamas, which translates to contentment.  It is the true understanding that there is nothing more that can or does exist than this very moment.  This one right here, now.  

It's a funny cycle we can get ourselves into.  When we're little, we want to grow up.  When we're in university we want to get a job.  When we get a job, we can't wait for our next holiday, and when we can retire.  And then often you hear from older folk that they wish they were young again.  There's a getting ready, a putting off, a waiting for an arrival.  As the Chinese proverb says, we never really live, we just get ready.

Have you fallen into this trap?  🙋🏻‍♀️ I do, and then I meditate.   I liken it to a RTH point.  Have you ever witnessed someone flying a drone?  When it's time to come back they hit a button - it's called a RTH point - the Return To Home point and the drone safely flies back & docks in its station.   It's actually a safety feature to ensure the drone can return to a safe location in case of loss of signal.  That's what my meditation practise feels like to me.  When I feel as though I am spinning into stress & anxiety, and strong thoughts take a hold, it is a loss of signal to my home point.  I sit; and depending on what's happening that day, it can take a few minutes or 10 - 15 minutes to relax and return to my home point.  

We all aspire to lead fulfilling lives. Let's be honest, when our day is done, it's not about how much stuff we've gathered or what you've checked off your to-do list. It's about how well we've really immersed ourself in our own life – the ordinary routines and those extraordinary delights.  It's a wild journey, being human.  And when we get caught in the search of more things, (which is so easy to do, as it's a constant in our modern lives) 'out there', we will never be fulfilled.

Deborah writes, “When we expect the world to meet our needs, we turn outside of ourselves to find sustenance and completion.  We expect our partners to fulfil us, our jobs to meet our needs and success to solve all of our problems.  We let our contentment be managed by all these uncontrollable variables.  As long as we think satisfaction comes from an external source, we can never be content.  Looking outward for fulfilment will always disappoint us and keep contentment one step out of reach.”

So when you notice that you feel as though you're 'waiting' instead of doing more, try doing less.  Stop, slow down, breathe, meditate.  Especially as we move into end of year shenanigans.  It's a common Western collective to have imaginary, unquestioned deadlines for things to get done before the end of year. Some things I've come back to when the feeling of overwhelm creeps in. What habits are serving me?  Am I getting enough sleep?  Am I giving my body enough nutrition for abundant energy?  Am I overcommitting?  Where am I saying yes, when I really mean no. Or vice versa. What activities bring me joy?  Do I have these booked in?  No, then book them in.  And can I slow down enough to really live and be present to as many moments as possible.