“Stop creating a life that you need a vacation from. Instead, move to where you want to live, do what you want to do, start what you want to start, and create the life you want today. This isn’t rehearsal people. This is YOUR life.” – Dale Partridge
When I was younger some of my friends used to tell me each time I moved house, job, or took my backpack on another solo adventure, that I was running away from life, from responsibility, from settling down and fitting in.
I lived in a world of Lonely Planet books, maps on my wall, exploring STA travel with my wonderful grandma (who used to smile knowingly at my excitement, understanding me because we shared that dream), exploring the world in my lunch breaks and evenings to understand how big this beautiful world of ours is. Of all the potential there was out there to experience!
Travelling is not “running away.”
I wasn’t running away as they thought. Instead, what I was doing was running forward full-speed with my arms wide open and my heart even more so, courageously, into the world of magic — the world of the unknown with a strong realization that ‘ordinary’ would never be enough for me.
I was seeking my dreams and then living them out with every new moment that I breathed in. It took me a long time to get there but I’m finally here.
I’ve been to so many countries, seen so many things. And as I find myself here, I realize it is still just the beginning; there’s so many more amazing things out there for me to experience, to feel and embrace.
When you’re following your true authentic path then you will always have everything that you need.
Living Your Yoga
Yoga helps us to bring confidence into our lives, to dig deep and to really sit with ourselves and better understand ourselves, letting go of the habits that hold us back and helping us to realize that we already have the tools we need to succeed deep inside us.
We can apply each of the lessons we learn on our yoga mat to our lives away from the mat, and that is when the magic starts to happen.
My teacher used to tell me we can do anything we put our minds to, and to stop living life with our handbrake on. Stop slowing yourself down to becoming the best version of yourself that you can be.
Be who you’re meant to be, never be sad or scared another day. Live life. Love life! The time is now my beautiful yogis, it always was. Make it count, make it fabulous.
How to Live and Love Your Life
1. Yoga helps us to discover our own dharma.
Take some time to write down what makes you uniquely amazing. We have spent so much of our lives so far focusing on ways in which we can fit in, reading magazines on how we should dress or fix our hair, or what to eat to get slim.
How about now hitting pause on all of those comparisons to others around you and focus on you instead. Yes YOU. What makes you unique, what makes you stand out from the crowds?
We were all born to fulfill our own destiny, so what is it that makes you the amazingly unique individual that you are?
2. There are no limits.
If there were no limits in the world, what would you want to do, and where would you be doing it?
Again let go of any limitations. Through my travels I have been lucky enough to meet the most incredible people who have achieved the most amazing things with their lives, just by simply stepping away from the barriers that have been created around us and called “normal”.
Who wants ordinary anyway. Not me, and probably not you if you are reading this article. So go chase your dreams, make them come alive!
3. Just breathe.
By slowing down our mind, taking time to simply breathe, yoga helps us to tune out the distractions of the mind and focus our energy on the important things.
What makes you smile? Like really, deep-down-inside smile? Make time for these things every single day. Sometimes it can be days, weeks or months between making time to do the things that set our world on fire.
So go do it, schedule it into your diary and make time for it. If it makes you happy, make it part of your waking day, every day. Maybe it is reading a book, or painting, or rolling your yoga mat out and practicing Vinyasa flow.
4. Practice Yin yoga.
Yin Yoga is my all time most favorite little personal gift of self-love to me. It makes me remember to take care of myself, to be kind to my body, my heart and my soul.
It opens me up quite literally and fills me up with compassion and healing energy. When my mind is going round in circles, or creating limitations by adding fear or panic to my day, I will always know to come to my mat and practice Yin yoga.
Even just three poses for five minutes per pose and I know I will feel super calm almost immediately. My favorite poses for instant calmness are Dragonfly pose, Legs Up the Wall, Child’s pose or Reclined Butterfly.
5. Meditate.
My favorite style of meditation is the practice of Japa Meditation. It is a simple meditation practice where you hold the mala beads one at a time between your thumb and middle finger, and work my way around each bead saying a mantra on each inhale and exhale.
I like to use “I am strong, I am healthy” or “I am calm, I am open”.
Let go of the belief that you must live your life a certain way, have the confidence and self-assurance that moving away from the “normal” may just send you on this breathtaking journey of self-discovery.
Here you will find yourself hurtling full speed towards your dharma — your most authentic self.
