Thus far, August has been an incredible and challenging month. A physical journey to Alaska was followed by an inward journey toward a new level of self-understanding. As with most introspective adventures I've undertaken on this path of yoga, I have been faced with a torrent of crazy emotions and irrational responses to external provocation. During the past four days I transformed into a sponge - absorbing every one's feelings and wringing them back out all over those unfortunate enough to have been around me (to whom I offer my sincere apologies, your patience with me is saintly and forever appreciated). This startling foray into the life of an empath has shone a spotlight on one of my many significant hurdles; allowing other people's moods to effect my behavior. Life is not all sunshine and puppies, so it shouldn't surprise me when people get angry, frustrated, and annoyed. Ideally, I should be able to ignore them and carry on in my happy little world (especially since their foul moods aren't even directed towards me!). But somewhere in my brain, signals get all crazy and I start trying to make everything better. When, inevitably, I can't, I get pulled into the bog of their despondency. Yoga teaches detachment to escape such quagmires. I know that I am not at a level that I can totally detach, but I need to learn the correct balance to relieve myself from the grief of failed attempts to keep everyone happy. So what should I do at this point? To be honest, I don't know. But for now I'm stocked up on tear-jerker movies and plan to cry it all out tonight and move forward! =) Stay tuned for updates along the way.
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." ~ Mahatma Gandhi
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