Today is the first day of Fall in the Northern Hemisphere, which has me thinking about change.
I was in the mountains over the weekend with friends, and the trees were putting on their best show.
Soon the leaves will turn brown and blanket the ground, as the trees prepare for Winter. Like the trees, throughout our lives we move through phases, and with each transition we have to let go of some things to create space for the new.
2020 has had no shortage of change, with the global pandemic affecting our everyday life at home and at work. We have a choice to cling to the way things were, or to accept the way things are and adapt. By holding on, we end up stuck, and maybe even angry or bitter.
Change is not easy, but it can be beautiful - just like those bright aspen trees.
In times of so much uncertainty, these words from Thomas Merton can be helpful: "You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.”
Challenging times are opportunities for growth and evolution. When we tap into our inner resources like courage and hope, we build resiliency and strength.
I have no doubt that we can emerge from 2020 with great ideas for how we can do and be better as a society. But that requires letting go of the way things were, focusing on the present moment, and asking "what lessons have we learned?"
That's exactly what we'll be doing in Thursday's online Self Awakening Yoga and Journaling workshop. The yoga practice will help you let go and open your heart to new possibilities, and the journaling prompts will help you identify your learnings from the past six months so you can move forward.
Sign up here to register. All registered participants will receive a link to the recorded session in case you can't attend at 6pm Mountain Time on Thursday.