“But I can’t leave my job. I could never [insert your dream here]. I’m not good enough to do it professionally. It’s better as a hobby. My family wouldn’t approve.” The list goes on.
How many times do we push our heart aside, and let our head tell us what’s right for us? How many times do we steal from ourselves–our happiness and our health–by denying a natural talent? Yogic philosophy says: “Don’t do it!” Asteya, one of the yamas, or best-life behavioural tips recorded by yogic philosophy powerhouse Patanjali, translates to non-stealing. It refers to, among other things, not stealing from ourselves.
I’m no perfect yogi, following the yamas every second of every day (maybe if I lived in a cave…)but when I made the decision to stop ignoring my heart and take yoga teacher training, my health and happiness dramatically improved. I no longer felt the heavy weight of resistance when I walked to work–on my way to my assistant editor gig at St. Joseph Media. I no longer felt irrationally irritated at the little annoyances that cropped up during my day. I no longer felt stuck.
Today, I tell anyone who’ll listen that taking yoga teacher training was the best decision I ever made.
What’s your dream? What do you continue to push aside? And, most importantly, why? I invite you to ask yourself these questions. Write down the answers. Sometimes, just recording our resistance can help us realize how small the things that seem so big really are.
p.s. Danielle, half of the uber lifestyle revolutionary duo Carrie & Danielle, ventures that it might not be a fear of failure holding us back, but fear of exposure. They’ve also got a great quote listed on their blog.
