This is what I asked myself recently. I was on gorgeous Gili Meno island, 2 hours from Ubud where I completed a yoga course at Yoga Barn. I didn’t want to embrace change and wanted to stay on the beautiful island, daydreaming, snorkelling and not have a care in the world! I seem to be in my element on islands. You can take the girl off the island (PNG in my case) but you can’t take the island out of the girl. Lol.
I was thoroughly enjoying my moment on the island. The weather was divine, the staff at Sunset House were incredibly kind and I was soaking up my stay. I had just finished launching a website at work in Brisbane, flew to Port Moresby with my family and then flew to Bali and had just finished 8 days of yoga training in Bali. It had been hectic and super fun! But…my brain was still catching up with me and I didn’t want to embrace change. I didn’t want to leave the island and felt like crying when I left. Dramatic? Yes, very. Haha.
That said, I understand the only constant is change! If we don’t change, we get left behind and stay stagnant – physically, emotionally and mentally. Ironic that I say I don’t like change when so much has been changing for me in my life. For my friends, for my family and for my communities in Brisbane, Port Moresby and around the world.
My yoga practice has definitely helped me to embrace change. Changing jobs, changing relationships that I want to stay the same, changing feelings, changing the way I live and what I eat, my changing values. Yoga has been my constant over the past few years and has grounded me, supported me and held me. I also feel that change, good or bad, helps to appreciate life. Hardship and down days help to keep us humble and to fully celebrate the ups in life so that the wins in life taste super sweet.
I left the beautiful people on Gili Meno and went to my next yoga course with Bex Tyrer at Yoga Barn. And the first session was about impermanence! The impermanence of life helps us to appreciate the beauty of life. Nature, people, relationships, jobs and life, there are no guarantees in life. We are all only visitors on earth. A speck in the universe.
The yoga pose that springs to mind when I talk about change is the tree pose or vrkasana. I encourage you to stand tall like a tree and be strong in your values and what you hold close to your heart, whilst still being flexible enough to evolve and change with the winds and our world that is evolving and needs us to embrace positive change.
And I will leave you with this picture of me doing my best to be a tree – strong and flexible at the same time! When I really wanted to lay on the beach like a sandcrab and stay in my bubble! But, the world called me out of my hideaway at Gili Meno! I have a job to do! To learn more about yoga and teach yoga. 🙂 xo
