“Who you are being” – now there’s a question we rarely ask ourselves during the chaos of our lives. My yoga practice is forcing me to ask that of myself.
Life coach Ros Bott once said, “I, too, have goals in life that have not happened yet. Life would be dull without having something to aim for! Self-development and setting goals is an ongoing process, and I too need coaching and support in achieving the next steps in my life. Success is nothing to do with reaching those goals, it is to do with who you are being while you are working towards them, and living a life of integrity and passion and joy.”
Believe me, there’s no greater challenge in life than looking inside yourself and admitting your faults. For so many of us though, our inherent defensiveness keeps us from acknowledging our shortcomings. But we all reach a point in life when the person we believe ourselves to be often falls short of the person we actually are.
About a year ago, I began Yoga classes with my wife. The word Yoga actually stems from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means to join or unite. It has been described as a “scientific system of physical and mental practices” which originated some three thousand years ago in India in order to bring out one’s highest potential.
There are great benefits to this ancient practice and I’m beginning to understand that we can control the people we are in life – unfortunately it takes personal admission and a great deal of patience. And while Yoga class is only once a week, many of the teachings we learn stay with me as I go forward – allowing me to discover more about the person I continually struggle to be.
I guess sometimes to attain the most useful, purposeful life possible you first have to accept who you are being. Only then can you truly live a life of integrity, passion and joy.
