A few in our community recently made the choice to commit to a 40 day program with “Personal Revolution” as part of its title. This begs the question – Why a personal revolution? Why change?
In a word: Joy. It is in our very nature to grow. And growth brings joy. Recognizing where we need to make changes opens us up to a new way of relating to and experiencing life – and continuously making wise changes means that experience becomes more and more joyful.
But often we resist change. This resistance usually stems from something we’ve built up over the course of our lives to protect ourselves from pain. The tendency is to cling to some habit, role, identity, or belief – in order to dodge a specific source of pain. Avoidance is always an option, and a very common one, but it usually results in either bailing out or staying and suffering. A personal revolution, however, is an opportunity to practice a third option: To stay, relax with what is, and begin the work of moving through the pain. The only real way out is through. Through to the joy that awaits us on the other side.
What does this have to do with Yoga? Developing the ability to choose to move toward the discomforts of yoga’s physical poses with a calm mind is a potent method to develop the spiritual strength necessary to move with calm determination towards pains of the heart – and then to make our way through.
We all have the power to choose. It is your will. You may not be able to choose all of the situations or circumstances of your life, but you always have the power to choose your response. Always.
Choose well.