discover:
find (something or someone) unexpectedly or in the course of a search
. . .
One of my
favorite concepts and teachings of yoga is that your practice (insert life
itself) is just that: a practice. Every moment is an opportunity to grow,
reflect, turn inward, be still...the list goes on. Every time I unroll my mat,
I am reminded, sometimes more easily than others, that life is just one big
practice. We don't have to have it all figured out, and likely we won't. And
more often than not, the answer comes to us with time, reflection, and through
a process of discovering it, rather
than knowing it.
I hate to
admit it, but at the ripe age of 28, I genuinely thought that I had (kind of)
figured my life out. I was fortunate enough to have found what I was truly
passionate about, experienced 3 loving and enlightening years of marriage,
lived abroad, obtained a great education, embarked on an eye-opening,
self-reflecting journey of service to Kenya, and shared the most intimate and
fun moments with the best family and friends anyone could wish for. My friends
turn to me for advice, I'm good at what I do, and I know how my life
"works". I had it all figured out, or so I thought.
Last
month, I attended Advanced Landmark. In short, if you've never heard of
Landmark, it's an educational series that empowers individuals to let go of
their past, their stories, and live life to their fullest potential, every day.
I went into the weekend armed and ready. I had already learned about and given
up my internal drama, and was ready to learn and find out how I could now
conquer the world. Unfortunately for me, as it turns out, I didn't know squat.
Talk about an overwhelming feeling of "Well shit, now what?".
On the
second day of the seminar, our leader said something that will stick with me
forever. Although he said this much more gracefully and boldly than I can
communicate, he asked us, "What if you approached life as if you didn't
know anything, and you had to discover it instead?"
Whoa.
What?
In an
instant, the game of life completely changed its rules for me. A whole new
realm of possibilities opened up, and the word discovery took on a whole new
meaning for me. It was so painfully clear that I had been the only one
responsible for having set limitations on my life. I was approaching life
half-assed. Needing to know the answer (at least a version of it) before asking
the question. I was setting myself up to succeed only at the level at which I
had succeeded (or failed) in my past.
I walked
into that weekend prepared to get what I needed to know. I walked away with
an entirely new perspective and a new found love and infatuation with discovery.
I want to discover what each day has to offer. I want to discover my
amazing husband, not get to know him better. I want to discover what's possible
when I don't set limitations beforehand. I want to discover what my breath and
body can do every time I unroll my mat. I want to discover what my yoga
practice opens up when I don't resist it. And mostly, I want to discover ME!
It's
amazing what opens up when you let go of what you think you know. What are you
ready to discover?
--
Guest Blogger:
Cristina Houston
Houston, TX
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