Happy New Year!
One of my resolutions is to blog more:)
“In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order”- Carl Jung
I just returned from a family trip to India. It had been 6 years since I had been there.
In planning the trip I wanted to see and do everything. Looking back, boy, did we cover a lot of territory in a short amount of time. We flew into New Delhi, made our way north to Rishikesh, spent some time in the holy city of Haridwar, the gateway to God. Then worked our way to Varanasi, Agra, Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur until we finally returned to New Delhi. My trip started out with me arriving, but not my baggage L. When I emailed a friend about it, she replied back “Its time to get rid of the old baggage, surrender!” I laughed but did not realize how right she was.
To me, India is chaos, but with a purpose, an order. When you are there you feel as if you are part of the chaos, and unless you surrender you cannot survive. All your senses are overloaded, you are forced to be present and surrender to India!! Doing so, allows you experience the purpose of the present moment.
When you travel by road in India you share space with camel carts, to rickshaws, to cows. There were many times during our trip that we were not able to be on time and had to adjust our schedule. Once you surrender it is amazing how you can appreciate what the universe is currently providing. It could be a beautiful sight you might have missed if you arrived a few minutes earlier. It might be a wonderful conversation with a new friend you would not of had. Once in a while we arrived ahead of time. This was a blessing especially when arriving at a clean toilet, which sometimes is not that easy in India. If you fight chaos, if you complain, it just makes you miserable, no one else. If we could become more aware of our own reactions, life would be easier. When we can surrender there is such clarity, passion and creativity. For 2014 my goal will be to recognize when I am in chaos, be more aware of my reaction and then to surrender!!!
In yoga I sometimes find myself fighting my way through a pose, it does not matter whether it is an easier or more challenging pose. I realize the difficulty does not come from the pose itself but rather my own current state of being, which usually feels like chaos at that point. Once I have awareness about the sensation I can surrender, I can actually find the grace in the pose and allow for an even more expansive state.
No matter what small or big challenges may we face in the New Year, lets observe ourselves and find the space to surrender. Wishing you all a very happy, healthy New Year!!
With Gratitude,
Alka
