Summer Is Here, Time To Rejuvenate

17/07/2010 — rosannagordon

A New Life

I’ve been away from blogging for a while, due to busy last stages of my PGCE teacher training – which I’m proud to say I’ve finished! I can breathe a huge sigh of relief. A totally amazing year, full of learnings and great achievement.

Two weeks have gone by since the course ended and life really has moved fast. I’ve moved fast. I’m now living in Cambridge, settling into a new flat and city, looking for work as supply teacher and putting foundations in place for my yoga business. As a newcomer, I can be as much a part of the side alleys or the centre streets as I like, because nobody knows me. Well, apart from my brother and sister, who I’m so happy to live close to.

Overwhelm to Strength

Day One here came, and I was off, running around the city, trying to get everything set up. I had so eagerly anticipated starting my new adventure that I couldn’t help myself! But by the end of the week, I was suffering from overwhelm. The reality hit me that it would take time adjusting to everything. Big changes have come all at once and a lot of shifting is going on. I’m aware though that this initial period of settling in and experiencing emotions such as fear and doubt is a part of the growing process.

In our bravery, we can make great changes in our lives. But then when it actually comes to living the change and we’re stepping out in the unknown, fear often shows up. And in our fear, we doubt our decisions that we were so excited about making! But it’s in staying put with the changes that we’ve brought about that we can tap into and feel our strength.

So this is what I’m doing, I’m hanging about. I’m staying put with my decisions to embark on this new, exciting life, allowing any emotions that arise and using the lessons that come to strengthen my character.

Coming Inside

By hitting exhaustion, I was forced to marvel at how the Universe works. No longer able to rush about ‘making things happen’, I got to sit back and allow things to unfold naturally. And whilst I believe it’s a good thing to actively go out and grab life, I can see how important it is also for us to loosen our grip over how things turn out. We can be both out there in the world having an influence and resting inside.

Rejuvenation

I don’t regret for a minute starting a new chapter. I think it was a fantastic idea. But I know too that in amongst making calls to the landlord, going along to interviews and seeking out yoga spaces, I also need to allow myself time for rejuvenation.

So, I’m asking you now to join me this Summer in rejuvenating yourself and finding a balance between your go, go, go self and your restful self. Will you join me?

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It’s Not Always Easy

03/03/2010 — rosannagordon

Every morning we wake up with a huge grin on our face. We spring out of bed, full of energy and enthusiasm for the day, and draw back the curtains, allowing the rays of sunshine to penetrate through. “Ahhh’ we let out a gentle sigh of appreciation, thinking of all the things we are so grateful for in our lives. “What a beautiful morning. I feel so alive, so happy to be here and so excited about today!” After a delicious breakfast, enjoyed with the one we love, in the peace and quiet of our budding garden, we skip off to work. From here, our day unfolds magnificently…
We feel the hearts and kindness of strangers we meet, and lap up all the meaningful conversations we exchange. We pat ourselves on the back when our boss congratulates us on all our hard work (even though we really don’t feel like it’s work at all) and beam when he says it’s a delight to have us as part of the team. Our full lunch hour is spent in tranquillity, in the nearby park. We sit back by the glistening lake, feeling the sun warm our face, listening to the sounds of the birds, and indulging in our favourite home-made sandwich. In the same fashion, our day continues to flow with ease and joy. We’re out of work by 5pm, and able to meander along to the yoga studio for an invigorating practice. To then come home to a delightful veggie dinner offered to us by our partner. No worries, no moans to be had. We’re not even the one to wash up! Bed-time comes at the perfect moment, just before 10pm. We cosy up under the covers and think “I so look forward to waking up tomorrow.”

What a wonderful world we’d live in if this were our experience, day-in, day-out. Ease, flow and peacefulness, maxed up to the brim. Nothing to worry about, nothing to fear and nothing made hard for us. An easy life, and path of happiness…

But is this really what we’re after? Does this ‘ideal’ even exist? Can things come so easily to us, and leave us so content and fulfilled? I’m not so sure they can. And I don’t believe this is really what we’re after.

Bring down a glorious image of what life can be is not what I want to do. I think that our lives are out there for the taking, the making, and the creating. They can be filled with beautiful moments, shared with outstanding people and lived truly to the full of our hearts desire. But, at the same time, and from my experience, we need to see all the colours of the rainbow. And the truth is: It’s Not Always Easy.

During the last few weeks on my school placement, I experienced a challenging time, a ‘tough period’. I certainly wasn’t waking up to sunshine beaming in at me every day, or feeling energised or like I had moments to spare for meandering through parks. No, quite the opposite. In fact on some days, I barely spent any time out in nature. I was too busy waking at the crack of dawn (at 4am on several occasions) to do my planning, feeling waves of anxiety about the days ahead and whether my lessons would be any good. I was feeling very tired during the day, trying to find my feet and make the most of the experience. My yoga and running schedule deteriorated, and pretty much went out of the window on the last week. I found myself opting for moments of relaxation and sleep, instead of exercise. I tried to establish a good work/life balance, I tried to make time for things I know are important for my well-being, I tried to do the best job I could on my school placement and I desperately tried to get myself back on ‘top form.’

And it was during all this ‘trying’, that I learnt a very important message: to ‘let go’, and just flow with my experience. I learnt to slow down, take things gently and not worry about having to be ‘on top’ all the time. “It’s alright to experience things differently, to come across bumps in the road, and to spend time in the valley, rather than at the peak of the mountain.” I listened to these words I heard from within me. I listened to the cues and prompts from my body, like when it said “lay off a run today and take some time to lie low and rest”, “go out and enjoy today, with no worries of it being the ‘best day’”, and a third one, which I think is really important: “life is not always easy, and that’s OK.”

We can learn from every experience, every ‘bad day’ and every difficult moment.

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Letting Go

03/07/2009 — rosannagordon

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Ahhh to feel truly relaxed, at peace and free. To have this feeling fill you up and flow through you. That is just a wonder.

Letting Go is all about setting yourself free, softening, finding solace, a place of comfort and being released from any discomfort.

It is a brilliant tool to use in bringing more and more happiness to you. As you begin to let go in different areas of your life, you become closer connected with your core, your essence. You relearn how to breathe deeply, see the hearts around you and spend moments of pure happiness with loved ones.

Letting Go is such a valuable skill to nurture. And one to keep close to you on your life’s journey. It is precious. For the process of gradual release allows you to unwind, untie and discard anything in you and your life which is in ravels, knots, piles and perhaps has been for some time, accumulating dust.

As you begin to let go, you can stand back and see before your eyes how the world can change and look so different. This new softer, calmer perspective allows your breath to lengthen, muscles to relax and the stars to brighten above you.

No longer do you need to hold on to any anger bubbling inside you, hate spitting out of you, resentment festering, regret lingering, greed all-consuming, frustration revving. The tightness constricting you can relax, old thoughts can be blown away and peace can set in.

How can you Let Go? When you’re holding on with all your might to a world you know so well and have habituated – How can you refresh the moment, untangling what you no longer need?

How can you find such peace and tranquility, a release from caught-up emotions? How can you see the sunlight again after it’s been hiding for so long behind that cloud?

Not always an easy process. Taking longer for some than others. But totally possible and definitely worth the effort.

For each of us, the ravels, knots and piles vary. The things you want to let go of in your life are different from your partners, friends and family. Letting Go is a personal journey. So you need to think carefully about what it is that you are holding on to that restricts you from being truly free and the best, healthiest version of yourself. What is it that’s wasting your energy, enthusiasm and potential?

Ways of Letting Go: Close any arguments that have been going on for countless time, no matter who’s fault you think it is. Forgive everyone, no matter how much hurt you feel. Lose all blame, taking full responsibility for yourself. Do not victimise yourself, this only wastes time. Know that happiness is an inside job, the answers aren’t ‘out there’. Be grateful for everything you have, little and large. Make friends with your supposed enemies, see them as innocent. Speak with loving words to yourself, harsh words feed the pain. Seek the things that bring you lasting joy, lose the things that weigh you down. Look on the positive side of life, lose negativity. Stop trying to please everyone, it’s not possible or worthwhile. Drop the habits which leave you feeling bad, see them as old.

Forgiveness, Self-Responsibility, Inner Happiness, Gratitude, Friendship, Kindness, Compassion – these are your keys to peace. And unless you unlock the doors, you may never see how different it can be.

Throughout the process of Letting Go stay close to your breath. Breathe in everything that you feel, good or bad. Use your breath to steady yourself, stay in the present moment and slow things down for you to see clearly what’s really happening.

Breathe in. Let Go. Breathe out.

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