Finding Wellness

As nature continued reaching its peak of energy, and heat! , covid finally knocked on my door. In comparison to what could have been, it was a light knock, but even so it did zap most of my energy and left me in a place of non doing. For anyone that knows me this is usually a challenge, as I am by nature a doer, with Pitta fiery qualities generally predominating. I like doing, I like having a plan and a to do list. Over the years however I have made concerted efforts to learn to let go of stuff, to let go of my need to do, to let go of my need to feel in control, something which I am sure will resonate with some of you.

Instead I learned to turn my attention towards acceptance of what is, because if nothing else it already is!, and if possible find enjoyment in what is, sometimes through letting go and sometimes through a disciplined practice. Interestingly all these have been themes that we have covered in class over the last term and it feels like as if unknowingly, I was preparing myself to put them into practice all at once.

In his book "A New Earth" Eckhart Tolle talks of acceptance, enjoyment and enthusiasm as the 3 ways in which one can bring their life in alignment with the "creative power of the universe". In other words, how to move with the flow and in effect find wellness, defined by the World Health Organisation as "the optimal state of health" expressed as "a positive approach to living".

He proposes that each has its function and different situations call for different approaches, however if you are not practising any of the three then in some way you are creating suffering for yourself and others.

Acceptance, he says, is predominantly for those things that we cannot or are not expected to enjoy, like feeling physically unwell, experiencing loss, or in his example, having to change a tyre on a rainy cold night whilst on your way home. It is the cultivation of inner acceptance of what is but also the acceptance of what one has to do in response to what is. So rather than wrestle with what I was presented with (although initially I did try), i.e. try and do when my body was clearly saying no, I accepted that this was a time for rest and consequently moving inwards, in a state of "surrendered action" where rest and healing could start happening.

He further explains that this state of "surrendered action" turns into enjoyment when you actually enjoy what you are doing. It proved to be true as I slowly started to recover physically and I was able to engage with every day tasks at a pace that was not forced or hurried. In other words I was fully present and as such in a state of Being which he equates with Joy. In fact he speaks of Joy not as something that we experience because of doing something that we enjoy but as something that flows from our Being into the something that we do. In those days of slow recovery I found space, mentally, physically, emotionally; I found deep quietness and joy in just being.

My daily practice which initially looked like a restorative posture and perhaps a yoga nidra also supported the practice of acceptance and enjoyment both because of the practice itself but also because of the discipline of keep turning up on the mat, in whichever capacity that was possible, to keep myself company and practice Being.

Overall I feel I benefited from the whole experience, even though parts of it might not be parts I would like to repeat! Through the experience of being unwell I was reminded what full, deep-seated wellness feels like. As I re-join the world around me and emerge out of that time I now think of as protected time, I am coming back with a better balance of doing and not doing, of doing and being, and staying disciplined to coming back to the mat every day giving me the space to continue the practice of just Being. Have a practice - a regular practice, repetitive as it might be, helps. By revisiting our bodies, checking in with our breath and our energy levels, how active the mind might be, we send a signal to ourselves that we are witness to our experience, we are honouring ourselves and we are here, present. I think when we are truly present with ourselves we are ultimately well, our energy in alignment with the universal flow and energy.

I have now been training as a yoga therapist for a year and a half so I am still a novice in the field however through my experience working in mental health services I have experience of holding space for others. What I am realising more and more is that yoga therapy is really about holding space for others to discover their own wellness through supporting and encouraging self awareness as well as being-ness, so the flow of energy aligns.

How do you find wellness? What does that look like for you?

Do you have a regular practice that brings you present?

If you would like to join our regular weekly classes or would like to have bespoke one to one yoga sessions or one to one yoga therapy contact us.

Also if you are interested in joining our upcoming "Finding Wellness" day retreat/workshop in November please register your interest here.