“One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice – though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your ankles…
…and there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own…”
~ Mary Oliver
I remember a great teacher telling us that all you need to do is change one thing in your routine and a cascade of life transformational changes will follow. For example, if you are just back from an inspirational retreat and decide to get up at 4 am every morning, take a cold shower, forswear coffee, and commit to 2 hours of yoga/meditation each morning, you will soon find that you hit the snooze button more times each day, decide that a warm shower would be better for your muscles and maybe just a few sips of coffee to get things going, and maybe can only fit in an hour of practice, etc – before you know it, you feel you’ve failed and conclude that yoga is not for you — this is the way to set yourself up for failure!
But, if you simply decide to get up a little earlier each morning, or even three days a week to do a short yoga practice or join an early morning yoga class – just that – then, you might notice that you have to go to sleep a bit earlier the evening before, that maybe you don’t want to go out partying to the wee hours with friends the night before or have those extra drinks. You see where I’m going – all from your commitment to changing one thing in your life!
Over the years, with the Center as my sadhana (practice) or “teacher,” I have realized that stepping out of my “comfort zone” and trying something new and different keeps me mindful, curious and open to new ideas and possibilities. Have you ever seen that graphic that features a little circle labeled, “Your comfort zone” and then outside of the circle it says, “Where the magic happens”?
I saw that on Facebook recently, and it resonated with me. It reminded me that we have to step out of the routine in our lives to experience things that are not a part of our “norm.” It’s exploring outside of our routine that prevents us from operating on autopilot; it’s what helps us to experience life in its fullness.
Now, I know we cannot completely throw away routine or habit. We need to work, pay bills, follow through on commitments. However, when opportunities arise for a new experience, instead of saying to yourself, “Oh, that’s not something I would do,” why not say, “Why not?” And it can be just that one thing… It’s all about balance: balancing routine and “where the magic happens.”
Summer time is a great time to get out of your routine and comfort zone and try new things from a playful vs. “have to” perspective.
Princeton Yoga has so much more going on this season and more new classes and events added all the time.
With our new scenic 5-acre campus, this summer we hope that you will find Princeton Yoga to be that “mini-retreat in your own backyard”.
“…Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
~Mary Oliver
In peace, health and summer adventures,
Deborah Metzger