I posted this on the LLWS FB page a while ago. I'm also sharing it with this group!
We already know, Ayurveda is a vast science, covering every aspect of a human, on all levels. Vedic Philosophy is a part of Ayurveda. In Sanskrit ayus means, “Life,”and Veda means, “Knowledge.” The science of life. Yoga is also part of Vedic Philosophy. The Vedas teach us to free ourselves from fear, and to shed our layers so that we can become “Limitless.”
How do we do this? Where do we begin?
~ Let’s take a look at Humility ~
Let’s begin with understanding humility. It all begins here. Every day I talk to people that want to make changes in their lives, but they just don’t know how, or what to do first. Lot’s of times, they feel defeated because they have tried and failed, and then just give up. They sign up for one program, then another, than another...and are still in the same place, years later. The belief is that they aren’t trying hard enough, or didn’t do it the right way, so they try harder and harder..and still nothing.
This is where the Vedas come into play. It’s not about, “doing more,” it’s about, “doing less” or “Undoing.”
Before I go any further, I’ll share a story with you.
I have a dear friend who had been trying to lose weight many times in her life. She signed up for Weight Watchers and followed the point program. This is going back a bunch of years, so it’s a different program now. Anyway, she figured out that as long as she stayed within her points all she would eat is Haagen-Dazs ice cream. She tells me this with enthusiasm. I tried to put my 2 cents in, but she was over the moon with this plan. Well, of course it worked. Anything will work for a while. Then, guess what happened? She started gaining weight again, and she couldn’t understand why. She blamed it on the Weight Watchers program. Her argument was, as long as she stayed within her points she was following the program, but the program failed her.
She even tried argue this with them. By the way, this has nothing to do with whether the Weight Watchers Program works or not. This is just an example of someone wanting something, but wanting it how they want it, and putting a lot of effort into making something work the way they think it should work.
The question here is, “Do you really want it?”
This is a good Segway into humility.
It’s a very misunderstood topic, and one that we try to avoid because it’s hard to wrap our heads around this. Practicing humility is essential to make changes and to grow. The first step to this practice is to let go of the need to be right, or to defend your righteousness. There is simply no space for healthy communication when the need to be right dominates. Humility allows us to be touched by another perspective. Loving disagreements, require a deep level of humility. Without the ability to open ourselves up to this concept, we essentially remain stuck.
The next thing to wrap our heads around, is to realize that we cannot control the outcomes of anything, including your own efforts. We often put a great deal of effort into attaining a work promotion, or having the house of our dreams, only to get
laid off during budget cuts, or having a flood take it all away. When things like this happen, we can either lose ourselves in the disappointment of it all, or embrace the experience as it is leading us in another direction. It takes stamina to see these
things as blessings.
Practicing humility takes a great deal of courage. This is a practice that allows us to accept things as they are, and see that every experience is a lesson. Humility is the ability to accept what we perceive as failures, or unsuccessful attempts at things,
and soften into them to see the bigger picture. We often get stuck in the black and white of our circumstances. We often want to manipulate our circumstances to create the appearance of change, but without any discomfort or disruption to life as we know it. This is a form of control, however control and humility cannot coexist.
It’s just not possible. Our need to want to control everything in our lives in the very thing that’s keeping us from evolving into anything that we desire.
This is where the question comes in. “Do you really want it?’
We can start by accepting that our daily challenges are just an opportunity to learn and grow. When we are hurt by a loved one, we can step back instead of attack and blame. We can see where things are never just one sided. We can create space to start to shift our perspective. We stop seeking responses, instead we feel comfortable with knowing we did the best we could.
Humility is far deeper than being kind. That’s the surface definition. This is not an easy practice, but a necessary one, if there’s interest in evolving in any way. We will struggle with this practice and our pride will get in the way sometimes. This is how we learn. The smallest efforts over time will have huge results. Humility helps us
overcome the pressure of living up to the false image we have created for ourselves. It begins to unstick everything. It invites the opportunity to flow with life, instead of trying to control our way through it.
Yoga asana is a way to practice humility. When we show up on our mats, we accept whatever our bodies can do at that moment, without the agenda of accomplishing a list of poses. The need to impress others, slowly fades away, the need to improve every single pose, simply dissolves. Instead, we shift our awareness to drop all the concerns of the mind, and focus on the heart. We ask our hearts to guide the way.
This is the mind bowing to the heart.
This is the deep teaching of Yoga and Ayurveda. This is where life truly begins.
Life begins when we become like an empty cup, ready to receive and filled up only by what is truth.
#ayurveda #yogatherapy #holistichealthpractitioner #liveinlove #onlylove #TheVedas #bewellbefitbefree
