CREATE A FLOW. BE IN A FLOW

Do you recall a day when you were in a flow?

Things moved smoothly from one place to another. The lights turned green as you got to the intersection, the line at the coffee store disappeared as you walked in, your favorite song started to play on the car radio. Was it a chance? Perhaps all of this happened in the past as well, but you were too distracted to notice it. But on this day, when the sun was shining bright, and you were in a flow, you were mindful of every detail. You were aware of each moment. It didn't bother you if the light was red; you paid attention to the song instead. You get my point.

Can we always live in such flow?

Maybe. Maybe not. Life is an amalgamation of opposites--- good-bad, light-dark, birth-death. The duality of life will touch all of us; we cannot escape it; we cannot control it. What we can control is our response to it. Challenges, disappointments, and heartbreaks will come into our lives. Can we acknowledge them and let them pass like white clouds on a sunny day? It's not easy, but it is possible.

How can yoga help?

When you learn to move your body in ways that feel good, something shifts. The physical body is what we primarily identify ourselves with. When you learn to control this physical layer, you begin to feel the next layer, which is the energy-body. It feels good to notice this energetic shift. It is an even better feeling when you know that you are the one controlling it. This can lead to connecting with another deeper layer of our existence, the emotional body. You may say to yourself, "I feel good." Just saying it and acknowledging that goodness within brings another profound shift where you settle down and notice something else. You begin to hear the sound of your wisdom, the higher wisdom that you inherited from your ancestors. The all-knowing wisdom that you have touched occasionally but perhaps not purposefully. It came to you in the moments of distress, and it guided you and nourished you at the time. Can you connect with your inherent wisdom, your intuition willfully with a purpose? Yes? And there is a process to it.

Create a Flow

Find ways and allow the body to move in a creative flow. I am sure that the artists and dancers who have learned to move their bodies attentively have felt this process. What about the rest of us? Can we step on our yoga mat and feel this flow? I say, YES! I was never an athlete or a dancer, but I felt like one when I started practicing yoga in my late 30s. Those tiny moments became a guiding light to do more of it. I wanted to dance on my yoga mat for longer. I didn't want to feel yoga like a workout or a routine--- I just wanted to flow and do what my body wanted to do--- I listened to it and honored it at that moment. 

Be at Ease

The dance does not have to be complex. It is your dance, you are the choreographer, and no one else is watching. Let your body flow. When you create this flow, you are in a flow. Planning a little and letting the rest happen. Push a little and then back off. Let it be advance between effort and ease, stillness and movement. In this process, the opposites find a balance, and you find grace. From this grace, you tap into the most subtle layer of your being, your inherent nature, the bliss-body. This Ananda is of the nature of sattva or purity. Feel the joy, the love, the healing, and be in a state of flow!

Allow

Allow this process to unfold. All good things in life take time. You water a plant all year long, and the fruit comes when the season is right. But the plant requires water, sun, and nourishing earth all year long for the fruit to grow. Nourish and nurture your bodies in more than one way. Create a routine, eat healthy foods, read inspirational texts, watch nature happen. Step on your mat and allow yourself to flow. Rest will take care of itself.

Namaste! I bow to the divine within you. 

Ritu Kapur is an Occupational Therapist and a yoga teacher. She has been teaching yoga to people of all ages and abilities for over 12 years. Ritu is offering a 5-week course this Fall about creating a flow and a dedicated personal practice. Connect with Ritu via www.SOHUM.org

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