The weather of our life can be sunny, windy or stormy and when experiencing any weather it is our choice whether to put on our sou’wester and go out in the wind and rain and enjoy the experience of the fresh air and nature at their most raw, or whether to stay inside, gazing longingly through the rain drenched windows and wish it were different …..it is our choice!

 However, how, in our ever-changing, uncertain lives laced with fear, are we to stay in the moment and take each day as it arises without being uprooted?  To regulate our “flappable” selves into staying grounded and calm?  The answer lies within ourselves, our attitude and how we perceive each storm in the very first instance.

 “One can make a day of any size, and regulate the rising and setting of his own sun and the brightness of its shining.” John Muir

 How do we maintain a steady attitude towards situations and allow our minds to stay calm and in a state of happiness no matter what?

 On the most simple level we can begin with the breath.  Keeping it steady and smooth, with the same sound, depth, length and quality no matter what. Then to allow a slight pause between the exhale and the inhale – and in that pause we have the time to make considered choices, rather than knee jerk reactions.

 A steady smooth breath (preferably Ujjayi) sends a message to the brain to calm us and move us from the stress response of fight and flight which activates the sympathetic nervous response throughout our system. Instead we will evoke the parasympathetic nervous (relaxation) response in our being.

 Another way to stay grounded is through physical exercise, no matter what  suits our personal body: walking fast or slow, yoga, dancing, singing, walking or running in Nature (without being plugged into music or sound) all allow us to connect to the energy and life of Nature, which also lies within us.

 Allowing ourselves to connect more deeply to our inner selves and the heart helps us to realise that whilst the chattering mind is still there, we do not need to engage with it, but, instead, allow it to pass us by without having the need to feed it.

 With a true connection to our inner selves we can observe the winds and changes of our external world and allow them to move on …..we can detach ourselves from them and their outcome and thus find a sense of grounded inner peace and serenity to guide us, rather then be shaken and forced to react in a way that we may later regret.

 With these tools we will begin to find that, whilst we may experience frightening and stressful events in our lives, we can change the way we think about and react to them by connecting to a deeper part of ourselves through yoga and the breath.   This way we can begin to exercise a discipline over our minds, thus ruling them rather than allowing them to control us.. again, the choice is ours

Our yoga sessions help us learn to surf the difficult waves as they crash onto our beach. As Jon-Kabat Zinn said:

 “You cannot stop the waves, but you can learn to surf”