"To hear and answer the call to commit fully to being in my life, I must learn to be with whatever IS ... If I am exclusively caught in my identity with daily concerns and passing thoughts and feelings, I mistake constantly changing circumstances for all there is, and my sense of well-being gets batted about like a Ping-Pong ball depending upon moment-to-moment conditions within and around me, conditions that are largely beyond my control. Without the perspective of knowing my essence, I will suffer, and in doing so I cannot help but spread suffering in the world."
-- from "The Call" by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
This is a concept that I often remind my students of: We are more than our jobs; more than our roles as parents, spouses, brothers, sisters, employees, etc.; more than our bank accounts and possessions; more than our emotions; and much more than our minds. Everything and everyone is constantly changing, so to pin your identity or happiness to an object or another person is a losing battle.
We must learn to get to that still center within so we can stay steady as life flows through us and around us. The results of a yoga and meditation practice are often compared to being able to stand in the eye of a hurricane. Chaos swirls around us, yet we can be OK with it -- we may not love it, but we can be OK. There's a lot of fear swirling around us now, and it is not helpful to get caught up in fear. Sit ... breathe ... go into the stillness -- to your glorious essence at the very core where there is a bottomless well of peace and serenity -- and look at the picture from there. We will be OK because we are much more than our jobs, our roles, and our bank accounts.
Namaste!
Sandy Pradas