The Yoga of Being

Last week I wrote about living a more spiritual life.  That’s my goal, well, not an actual goal, but more a desire.  Each day I awake with the intention of being in that place of balance and connection.  It is an active practice and state of being.  It’s also a conscious choice to be more present and (attempt) to stay disconnected from outcomes.  That is challenging, but it is part of the practice.  I’ve decided to start calling it “The Yoga of Being”. 

Years ago I had a daily yoga and meditation practice and followed the teaching of a yogi master.  I could really tell how different I felt and how it effected my day-to-day life.  Through the teachings I learned about the philosophy of yoga and that helped bring even deeper meaning to my practice, understanding myself and life in general.  At the same time I was part of a spiritual community that meet weekly and studied spiritual teachings.  The combination of the two played a huge role in my spiritual growth, a deeper awakening and consciousness, plus it’s guided my life since.  It’s not something you lose.  

My husband is a cyclist and rides hundreds of miles every month.  There have been times when he has stopped riding over the years, but when he starts up again he gets back into the flow with ease.  He tells me it’s muscle memory.  The muscles remember how to respond when he does the same movement again. I’ve decided that’s what living more spiritually is like.  You can’t take away what you know, the truth, once you’ve connected with it.  It’s never gone, you can just get distracted by being human for a while.  Once I come back to the truth that I am a spiritual being I reconnect with all that and it starts to flow again.  Spiritual muscle memory. 

Today I am in that place - reconnected - and it feels great. I’ve been thinking about it and know it has to do with my brain chemistry balancing, the food I am eating, the way I am moving my body and the deep spiritual awakening I had in New Mexico. When I contemplate all that I have been doing the word “yoga” keeps coming up.  Yes, my body is telling me it’s time to get back into the physical practice, but it is more than that. The Yoga of Being is about a lifestyle.  It’s about “being” and not “doing”.  Allowing, not forcing.  Acceptance, not resistance.  Connecting mind, body, and spirit in a wholly way.  A lifestyle of connection, balance and health. 

The Wikipedia definition of yoga: 
“Yoga is the physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India with a view to attain a state of permanent peace of mind in order to experience one's true self.”

I love that definition!  It says exactly what I am wanting to create in my life - “a state of permanent peace of mind in order to experience one’s true self.” That’s what this entire process of Becoming Zia has been about for me.  The evolution of my true self.  Learning to understand my truth and the bigger truth of who we all are.  The healing of my physical body and the emotional, spiritual and metaphysical lessons around it all.  It’s time for me to transcend into a place of acceptance and begin living from the essence of my true self.  When I wrote the post Fuc#ed Up No More in March is was part of the awakening of my awareness that I no longer needed to fix myself.  I’ve spent most of my life attempting to do that, always feeling broken and flawed. That is over.  Now it’s time to begin living in a new way, a connected way.  Connected to that part of me that is eternal, a piece of the perfection that is part of the bigger whole.  

Yes, that’s it - The Yoga of Being.  A lifestyle, a philosophy, a daily practice. Ummm, could be another book in the making!  

Big love,