OM MY YOGA

WHAT ARE YOU LEARING?

Dear Friends,  

Maybe it is because we are only 11 days away from the start of the next Om My Yoga Academy session, and I have been doing one of my favorite things - pouring over books to find fresh inspiration and new insight to share with the upcoming teacher-trainees. 

Or maybe it is because the kids are back in school, and our evenings have been filled with reading, studying for tests and keeping up with what I feel is some pretty intense first and fifth grade curriculum! 

Whatever the reason, I have found myself asking this question: "What am I learning right now?" 

Most of us are long past the days of sitting at a desk and waiting for homework assignments, of pop-quizzes and parents asking, "what did you learn today?"  So we need to begin holding ourselves accountable.  We have amazing, expansive minds that are thirsty to absorb new lessons and insights. The end of our formal education should not mean the end of learning - we simply need to take charge, become extremely curious about life and ourselves, and seek out ways to soak up new knowledge. 

Sometimes, opportunities for learning do occur whether we seek them out or not.  Life happens - trials, mistakes, insight, and then growth.   The natural cycle of learning that occurs when we open our eyes and hearts to life's lessons is sometimes enjoyable and sometimes painful, but always enriching and for the most part - unavoidable.  While it may not always feel like it, this is fortunate!  I know I am grateful for the wisdom I have gained through the challenging times in my life, and am certain I am better prepared for trials that may come because I've been taking notes about the world around me, my own reactions, and the lessons I have been given whether I asked for them or not.

Other times, learning occurs because we actively pursue it.  Maybe you've always wanted to study a foreign language, take an art class or read a book about philosophy. Or perhaps you feel drawn to an internal journey of discovery, and will spend time peeling back layers of yourself through journaling, meditation or time on the mat to come to a place of greater Self awareness. 

The area of focus can be different for each of us, but the important thing is to keep expanding our minds and finding ways to grow.  When we continue to learn, we experience a richer, fuller life - like reading the whole book instead of staying stuck on just a few pages! 

I find that instead of just waiting for life to throw another challenge my way and then scrambling to "get the lesson" while weathering the storm, constant study and refinement work best to prepare me for greaterinstictive-insight, strength and readiness for the challenging situations that will inevitably occur.

  

So what am I learning right now?  Something new every day.  And I know that as the years go by, I will be so grateful that I never ceased to be a perpetual student of a thousand subjects in this intriguing, enriching, inspiring life. 

See you at om!

Love,

Rachel Wilson, E-RYT500