It is funny as I have, for many years, understood what 'Living well' is all about. ' Living well is living simply' and yet sometimes I don't acknowledge my own understanding on this concept of 'the simpler, the better'
The reason I thought to write this post today was because I was sitting here in gentle reflection of what the last few years for me looked like.
It has been some of the most exciting, stimulating, pleasurable but also most complex time of my life.
Let me give you this in a nutshell before I begin my reflectional (not even a word but ok one day it might be;) ) part of my post...
In 2014 I decided to leave my work, I had little savings but I had a vision - To be a Yoga teacher in Melbourne City, Australia. An, ask my Mother, nothing was going to stop me leaving everything behind and starting on a new path that I was paving for myself.
So, that's exactly what I thought, it was exactly what I wanted - I had a clear image, an its exactly what I strove for, an lastly... it was exactly what happened.
I flew to Thailand and spent the next few months in Chiang Mai where I became certified in, not only, my 200Hr Hatha Teacher training but also in Advanced Thai Massage. Then before I knew it, after a very quick and brief visit to NZ to see a friend, I arrived in Melbourne City.
Long story short as this is a "In a Nutshell" piece, after 9 Months of hard word, embarrassment, endless reading and experiential sessions I had manifested exactly what I had envisioned...I was a certified and successful Yoga teacher in Melbourne city at some of the most beautiful and traffic filled Yoga studies within the city and surrounding suburbs.
But the moment it came, it went. Circumstance took me back to England and it seemed I was starting all over again. This was 2014.
_________________________________________
I let go of Melbourne and my time there willingly and totally as for me there was nothing more there to experience. I had for filled and manifested my visualisations and for a while I returned home to spend some time and earn a living.
But still I found myself seeking, looking, where next? what next ? I was bored!!!
An life gave me exactly what I was looking for less than ten months later. I was hit with enthusiasm, something charismatic, something out of this world beyond what I would ever have expected and I was taken away for almost one year to a safe, blissful but at times lonely and complex place.
In a nutshell I fell in love and pushed myself aside completely to play my role in this new venture with another.
Within itself it was a lot to take in during the previous year of learning, shifting, changing in mind and locations but now I found myself setting off for my new venture in California .
A new place, new time, new experiences and my goodness I couldn't even explain in this post what I saw, felt and did during my time in the US - too much excitement, desires filled, lessons learned and fears eliminated.
But it came at a price. I had to leave every 90 days to stay in line with my Visa restrictions, I couldn't work, I was confused in my own security and future and in the end honesty in love did not last and right at this time I left for my first trip to India.
Destination three in less than three years. Complexity was creeping in and by the time I left for India I felt like I was loosing who I was. In many ways my Ethics, Morals, Approach and within my Outlook and Attitude. I was unsure, lost and not being true to myself.
I was in Mumbai for Four months completely immersed in my 900Hr Yoga Advanced TTC. But personally I was a little lost in all my created complexity.
I didn't know my future, I didn't feel safe in it. I felt lost in my roots as my family each time I would visit home recognised me and related to me less. A man whom I thought was my security and friend a different person to me and loosing Love hit me hard.
So what does one choose to do in this state? Add more complexity or try to simplify? Well... we all know the right answer and that is of course to simplify however we as being when we become in habit of something, in this case developing and choosing and directing oneself towards drama, we find it a struggle to choose even what we know is right for us.
So yes of course you guessed it, things became even more complex.
During this time I needed closeness, I wanted to give Love and to be Loved. So my wants override my needs at this time and I gave in to what I needed adding to the complexity of my situation even further.
After the four months in India passed I flew to California to say goodbye to my home and my friends and go through the process of letting go of what I thought my life was going to be to try and make the healing begin and to make space for what was to come next. I visited for a mere three weeks before spending only five days in the UK before returning back to India to lead a number of Yin teacher training's in Goa.
In the space of one month I had visited, settled then immediately left three countries.
My personal life was far from simplistic and my professional life was stressful as I placed a huge expectation on myself to do well in teaching my students.
Far from simplistic.
Then, something happened. Everything became too much and I knew what I had to do. I had to undo the complexity and be patient in its unravelling process - It took this long for me to become complex and I knew it would take just as long to unwind myself back to simplicity.
At this time I was gifted a beautiful, calming and influential support. Something that reminded me what I wanted to be, what I wanted my life to look like.
I met this individual who reminded me about my ethics, my morals, what I want to represent and how I wanted to live in January 2018, since then I have worked at eliminating all the complexity in my life to make new space for number 1 "Space" itself and number 2 for "Simplicity in living".
Now, my life is much more simple. For now at least. An I find myself with this inner calm and contentment. I'm no longer the seeker I once was.
Now I spend my time refining and growing my new visions but I am doing so in a relaxed manner, I am doing so with clear thought and healthy intentions, a complimentary simple lifestyle where we buy from our local Fruit stall, where I take daily walks along the beach to move my body and take time out to plan & reflect, where I teach daily Yin Yoga classes & make plant based delicate desserts. A lifestyle where I write and read for fun and take calm in the fat that I am living once again, to the best that I can, when it comes to my ethics and morals.
We live minimalistically but with quality and try not to feed our desires and wants by maintaining this simplicity and modesty in this area.
Simplicity for me is what I needed to get back to in order for me to become more grounded. More stable, safe & healthy in Body and mind.
Why do we complicate things or feed into the drama of living? I don't know this answer but I can understand. Drama and complexity can be exciting, new, stimulating for sure, but in the end it isn't maintainable, sustainable or healthy to live life this way.
Cut the drama, cut the desires, cut the moral dilemmas and what it takes to get ourselves there, cut the bullshit and take a simpler approach.
Its that simple.
When things get simple you can come back to the present, you can be fully involved with the daily tasks and duties at hand. Instead of having a mind cluttered with worry or how to get out of or into situations and be in the mindset of wanting things to be something different to what they are.
I noticed, in glimpses at first but over the last few days has become a little more enhanced, that everything is feeling like it is slowing down. There is no longer the rush that there used to be - sometimes even a rush to do things due to my made up expectations that things should get done or at least do something to keep my mind occupied and not having me face the reality of my complexities.
Life is what we create of it, it is how we see it. How we use the tools we are given, how our attitude and approach is to our surroundings. Its that Simple, its in the simplicity of living that calm sets in and where real contentment begins to happen.
Enjoy the simple things, strive gently for simplicity in living and see how your life begins to calm and settle leading to a whole array of living well benefits.
I hope this feeling lasts.
Comments