Can you feel it yet? A palpable shift in peopleās perceptions. Our priorities are changing. We want fit healthy bodies and fit healthy minds. So many people are getting involved in yoga for precisely those reasons and once they are on the mat they realise there is a bit more depth than at first meets the eye.
So many of us are interested in health, fitness and well-being these days. It is across generations, not just one demographic. We are all interested in making positive adjustments in our own lives, but there is also a deeper, wider context to this – something has shifted, something has changed. On a wider context we are starting to really notice the changes in our planet. We are beginning to evolve a broader awareness of how our life impacts the world.
Yoga and mindfulness has this capacity to take us out of our small minded thoughts and help us to gain a deeper connection to ourselves, others and our environment. We can slow down and begin to really hear through all the noise that is thrown at us day after day. It has a genuine transformational effect.
We smile, laugh and feel a part of something bigger, more significant. We feel lighter. We gain hope. We gain connection. We begin to understand how we fit into this world that we are a part of.
As we feel more connection we begin to ask questions like, āWhat imprint are we leaving behind us as we stride forward?ā. There is a social consciousness coming to light and it means that society as a whole is ready to move forward from the āI, Me, Mineā mind-set into a much more community based, social mind-set.
This is powerful. When individuals become aware of their own power to shift and shape society as they see fit, they begin to mould a new way of doing things. A way based on compassion and kindness towards others. We become a little less selfish and a little more selfless. As community bonds are made, anxiety, loneliness and depression decrease. We feel more empowered and less powerless. There is social inclusion. This is democracy. Power to the people.
Ask yourself what do you hold dear, what you truly want from life and work towards those goals. Is it money? Power? A fit body? A healthy mind? A smile from your child? A touch from your lover? A sense of making a difference to someoneās life? Ultimately what is life about other than to share joy and love with the people that surround us?
Donāt allow society to dictate what should be important to you, decide for yourself. Use the tools that work for you to transform your life. That could be yoga, meditation, mindfulness, running, swimming, weights, whatever floats your boat! Discipline and practice is the first step to transformation.
Remember, what you do really matters – on and off the mat.
Make goals, have discipline and be aware of your own ability to make others happy.
When you stop focusing so much on yourself; thatās when the transformational magic happens and as my teacher says, āMagic is simply a shift in perception.’
