Navigating change
The winds of change are definitely here, we’re at the end of Autumn after all, the Vata time of the year, when the elements of air and ether are at their strongest, ushering greater movement in our lives.
People tell me that they love change but I beg to differ. Even the Yoga Sutras (sutra II.15) tells us that our greatest suffering (dukkha) occurs due to change (parinama).
Sure we love change once it has happened and we can be assured of a happy and positive outcome but the process of change, of moving from one state of being to another, of stepping into the unknown without any guarantee of what might happen next – will we enjoy the new job? Will it work out moving in with our partner? Will we love the new country ? – All of these things can be potentially positive but there is always a moment, always a doubt, a last minute questioning whether we have made the right decision and wouldn’t we be better to maintain the status quo?
This because change brings fear and fear can cause us to resist change.
The mind LOVES certainty. The mind LIKES to ensure safety. The mind will do ALL it can to protect us even if that protection keeps us stuck, scared to make changes and move forward in our lives.
The mind also seeks to find evidence from our PAST to validate its resistance to change, and it LOVES to IMAGINE a FUTURE, usually from a worst case scenario perspective. The mind flip flops frequently between the past and the future and forgets to focus on THIS moment, NOW, when everything is OK. You’re OK aren’t you, right now, reading this?
Our life actually is one of trying to be OK.
Always we are making decisions based on our motivation to be OK. Sometimes the decisions don’t work out as intended, sometimes our judgment is clouded because we don’t see clearly (Per Yoga Sutra I.6, the first of five activities of the mind is correct perception - sometimes we don’t perceive correctly – the second activity is wrong understanding/mistaken knowledge – we don’t understand correctly). Furthermore we can easily delude ourselves (Avidya, ignorance, appears as a klesha, an affliction of the mind, see Sutra II.3), especially if we are confronted with something scary, like change.
However, life is one of constant change, we cannot avoid it; every day the planet is turning, every day the sun sets farther south or north than it did the day before, every day the moon is in a constant process of movement from full to new and new to full, every day In our own lives we move from morning to midday, wake to sleep, birth to death. Even one second turning into the next brings miniscule (or sometimes huge) changes - we are a different person to the one we were ten years ago and no doubt we will be different in ten years’ time from how we are now.
The change of any season is a great way to observe ‘change’ at work but especially now in Autumn. Supported by the increase in air and ether (and the resulting wind), the trees drop their leaves and those leaves return to the earth, where they started the first signs of life in the first place. As the trees move from full-life to a state of dormancy and hibernation throughout the winter period, they are preparing to burst into life again in the Spring. If they didn’t do this, the trees would waste valuable energy and nutrients trying to survive in conditions which do not support them.
So it is with us too. In this Autumnal time of year, by its very nature, Vata is all about movement and we are being asked to create movement in our own lives by letting go to create the space (remember Vata is space/ether and air) for the air to blow the new in - think of the heart chakra, represented by the element of air, sometimes we have a change of heart, sometimes something touches our heart and this changes everything.
Our suffering arises when we resist this process, when we hold on to our leaves when they are ready to drop, when we listen to our head rather than our heart, when we stay stuck in unhealthy relationships, jobs and friendships, when we keep feeding the same unhelpful and limiting mental patterning (habits, thought processes and behaviours), when we cling on and keep doing what we have always been doing because we THINK we know what’s best when all the time our body is screaming at us to let go and rest.
How best then can we navigate change?
Acceptance is key 🗝
But acceptance can take time. We need to accept that we need to make changes in our lives. Spiritual Life Coaching is really helpful here.
More often than not we know we need to make changes, but we don’t always know what changes to make or how to make them. Often the change that needs to be made is internal, setting ourselves free from our conditioning and habitual thought processes and behaviours, healing old wounds and shifting core and limiting beliefs, letting go of outmoded ways of seeing the world and ourselves, changing perspective, as if awaking for the first time.
Having someone help and hold space for us while we navigate all of this is incredibly helpful. Worksheets are provided between sessions for us to consider our limiting beliefs, our relationship with our body, our emotional state, our mental patterning, and the option of considering our diet and lifestyle from an Ayurvedic perspective too, as well as being supported by various spiritual practices including yoga and various breathing and relaxation techniques.
If this resonates, if you know you need to make changes but fear is getting in your way then do reach out and we can discuss how Spiritual Life Coaching may help you.
2. Cultivate greater faith 🙏🏽
Faith is the antidote to fear.
There is a wonderful Vedic chant from the Rig Veda called Shraddha Suktam, which is chanted to strengthen faith. The chant contains a verse, “Shraddha devanadhivaste” which translates as faith is our protection - it really is!
Faith gives us the strength to make changes in our lives, to choose differently, even when there is no certainty of outcome, when we are asked to step into the unknown.
3. Yoga practice 🧘🏻♂️
To cultivate greater faith we might delve deeper into our yoga practice, getting on our mat and taking conscious, comfortable, slow and steady breaths, lengthening into our exhalation, practicing asana (postures) in a steady and comfortable way, taking time to rest, engaging in a Yoga Nidra to work with a Sankalpa (intention) and take us deeper into the body.
We might also enter into prayer - See Sutra I.23 where we are introduced to the concept of Isvara Pranidhanadva, an ultimate being, God, Universe and later, Sutra II.1 defines Kriya yoga as being the yoga of action with three key components, namely Tapah, which means heat/purification, doing something positive like getting on our mat, Svadhyaya, which means self-reflection, such as reading spiritual texts and seeing how they we can incorporate the teachings into our life and Isvara Pranidhanadva appears again as a reminder to surrender, appreciating the notion that we are not in control, that the world does not revolve around us, thus encouraging us to accept our place in things, that there is something higher.
The Yoga Sutras also reminds us in the first chapter (sutras I.13 and I.14) to develop a steady and balanced practice, which takes place over the long term, without interruptions, with a positive attitude, with enthusiasm and thoroughly if we can expect to see any positive changes.
We are basically reminded that there is no quick fix, that we are in this for the long run, NOT just when things are critical but all the time, so that the challenging times, like when we experience change, do not have to end up putting us into a critical state of mind – practicing regularly reduces our suffering.
Explore the first three chapters of the Yoga Sutras with Emma, discussing various sutras and considering how they might be relevant to your life. Each session lasts 60 minutes and can be enhanced by a regular yoga and/or Reiki practice to help support general healing and personal and spiritual development.
4. Spiritual practice 👁
We can expand our spiritual practice beyond our mat, to make all of life an opportunity to cultivate greater faith and help us manage change. We might visit sacred sites, spending time outside in nature, sitting against a tree, taking walks on our own by the sea, reading spiritual books, attending spiritual groups, studying spiritual subjects.
Spiritual Life Coaching can assist in helping you cultivate an authentic and consistent spiritual practice.
5. Reiki 👐🏼
Reiki not only supports our ongoing healing but also promotes our spiritual and personal development. Reiki helps to release energy blocks which will help to free us from the effect of previous trauma and the resulting mental, emotional, physical and energetic patterning that continues to inform our daily life.
In this way, Reiki helps to restore wholeness, positively changing the way we relate to ourselves and others, while increasing our energy and helping us to see our life more clearly. It is extremely helpful through periods of change, when we know something needs to shift, but we don’t quite know how to make it happen.
Becoming attuned to Reiki can also help as you can lay your hands on yourself.
6. Ayurveda 🌿
Staying grounded will help immensely too. Ayurveda offers us many options to help ease anxiety and fear when it arises, eating warming stews, curries and soups, using our hands to consciously prepare food or hands in the earth gardening, massaging our whole body with coconut oil and then lying in a warm bath (adding dead sea salts is really helpful too).
There are herbal medicines we can take too, albeit these need to be prescribed individually for our specific needs.
7. Positive thinking 🔋
As stipulated in Yoga Sutra II.33, when we find ourselves disturbed and not sure of the best way forward, we can look at it from the other side, so we cultivate looking at things from a different perspective to try to resolve doubt and the lack of clarity. This can be like thinking, ‘well what will happen is I don’t do it versus what will happen if I do’. Or put ourself in another person’s point of view.
Thus if we are stuck in an attitude of fear or resentment, we have to positively cultivate the opposite. This involves working with the mind to see things differently, especially when we are stuck.
At such times we are encouraged to divert attention, reflect on potential consequences, take a step back to ask for advice, practice yoga and in such times seeking help from a teacher is invaluable. Spiritual Life Coaching can help enormously as referenced above.
8. Loosening the grip 🌏
We take on habits, or a habitual thought process, and at the very beginning it might serve us in some way, keep us safe for example. But after some time, this way of being and living no longer serves us and it is time to let go and change, make new healthier habits or thought processes. The trouble is we humans are very good at grasping and attaching ourselves to there being one way. It is this inflexibility that ends up causing our suffering.
If we can loosen our grip – aparigraha, the fifth yama or ethical principle/relationship to the world around us as noted in Sutra 11.31 means non-grasping, non-possessiveness, non-attachment – then in theory we can flow more easily moment to moment, adapting to change as it arises, allowing our transformation, and actually arriving in the present moment, experiencing it exactly as it is without needing to react to it.
9. Going with the flow 🌊
Sutra II.3 refers to the ‘kleshas’, the afflictions including attachment/desire (ragas) and aversion/hatred (dvesa) and how we alternate between the two, wanting and rejecting, liking and disliking, and how this causes unsteadiness in the mind.
If we can just let go of our preferences, then we can find greater equanimity. This is particularly relevant if change is forced upon us, sometimes we just need to go with it, let go of our preferences, to be shown that there may be another way – more often than not, redundancy, for example, while a shock, can be a blessing in disguise, presenting new opportunities.
10. Bach Floral Remedies 🌸
Taking Bach floral remedies, the one for fear (Mimulus) or shock (Star of Bethlehem), or overwhelm (Elm) or the Rescue Remedy to help support generally.
11. Spending time with positive people 🪷
When we are navigating change, it is very helpful to spend time with people who are supportive of this.
More often than not people come from a place of self-service and they can be threatened when we make changes in our life, not least because they fear losing us (and their grip over us), but also because we indirectly encourage them to come out of their potential denial about the state of their life.
Many people like to put their head in the sand and they prefer it is those around them to do the same, so they don’t have to face their reality.
12. Feeling into it 🫀
It can be really helpful to feel our fear and anxiety as they arise. To understand its root – which is more often than not, around our safety.
Remember FEAR as False Evidence Appearing Real and challenge it – where is the evidence that we will end up homeless, unwell, dead etc?
For more help please do reach out. The more comfortable we can be with the change, the easier it is for us to weather it when it appears in our lives.
Warming, Ayurvedic, vata-balancing recipes:
Vata-balancing overnight oats
This is a very easy recipe to make in advance and can stay in the fridge for a few days. Can be helpful during this Vata time of year, might well help if suffering with constipation. Go easy if suffering a Pitta imbalance.
This is a very easy recipe to make in advance and can stay in the fridge for a few days. Can be helpful during this Vata time of year, might well help if suffering with constipation. Go easy if suffering a Pitta imbalance.
Ingredients
½ cup of organic rolled oats
½ cup plant-based milk
1 tbsp of chai seeds/pumpkin seeds/sunflower seeds
1 tbsp of maple syrup, date syrup or honey (avoid honey if on a Pitta reducing diet)
Vanilla extract to taste
Method
Mix all the ingredients together in a glass container (straight into a jar which you can take with you to work etc). Cover and refrigerate overnight. You can always top with toasted nuts (avoid cashew and Brazil if on a Pitta reducing diet)
Pea and mint soup recipe
This is a really yummy and gentle soup for the digestive season that leaves you feeling clean on the inside.
This is a really yummy and gentle soup for the digestive season that leaves you feeling clean on the inside.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon of ghee or coconut oil
I small onion or leek chopped
1/4tsp of turmeric powder
Ground pepper and salt to taste
2-3 cups of garden peas (frozen is fine)
1 litre of vegetable stock
Handful of fresh chopped mint
Handful of shredded spinach, chard or kale
Method
In a saucepan over a medium heat, heat the ghee/coconut oil and add the onion/leek, turmeric and ground pepper, and saute gently until the onion/leek is translucent.
Add the peas and stir until coated with the oil and spice.
Add vegetable stock and bring to the boil
Simmer with lid on for ten minutes
Add the mind and green leaves and heat on low for another minute or so, until the greens have wilted.
Blend with a stick blender or in a Vitamix and season to taste.
Warm & nourishing Ayurvedic recipes
Rice porridge
A warm & nourishing breakfast
Ingredients
2-3 servings
1/2cup of white or brown basmati rice
1/2 cup coconut milk
salt
stick of cinnamon (small)
sugar or maple syrup as necessary
dry fruits
almond flakes
Cook the rice and cinnamon with 3 cups of water until it becomes soggy
When the rice grains are very soft, add milk and stir continuously until the milk boils
Mix sugar/maple syrup, almond flakes and a few dry fruits (if they are pre-soaked much better)
If you prefer more liquid form, add a little more hot water. If you prefer semi solid, keep on fire until it becomes thicker.
Coconut butternut squash
Ingredients
1 medium-sized butternut squash cut into pieces
1 can of coconut milk
2 cups of water/stock/broth
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/4tsp of nutmeg
1/2tsp of salt
Freshly chopped coriander to serve
Heat oven to 350f
Roast squash for approximately 30 minutes and then leave to cool slightly
Warm coconut milk and water/broth/stock in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the roasted squash to the pan along with the spices. Bring to the boil and then lower heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and blend until smooth and creamy.
Season with salt and pepper
Sing's nutty granola recipe
Sing has very kindly agreed that I can share this recipe with you. It is brill for those of you navigating a Vata imbalance - more on this in one of my next newsletters so sign up for those if you haven’t already. Just go easy on the nuts and seeds.
This is a treat for those of you following a pitta reducing diet, but please avoid the honey using maple syrup instead and focus on almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts, avoiding cashew and brazil nuts.
If you are reducing kapha, just be mindful of its yumminess…and have with milk, avoiding yogurt.
It is very satisfying to make, full of prana and love, go organic if you can to reduce toxins - you can really taste the difference in comparison to those processed in a factory…
Ingredients
50ml coconut/vegetable oil
75ml agave syrup, maple syrup or clear honey - use agave or maple syrup if vegan
400g porridge oats - use gluten-free oats if required
150g mixed seeds and nuts
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp fine sea salt
100g sultanas, raisins or dried cranberries and coconut flakes (or any dried fruit of your choice)
What to do
Heat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Mix the oil, syrup or honey and vanilla together in a large bowl.
Add the oats, seeds, spices and salt to the bowl. Mix well so everything is coated, tip onto 2 large baking trays and spread out evenly.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until golden, crisp and smelling toasted. Add the flaked coconut and dried fruit to the granola, and bake for 2 more minutes. Leave to cool.
Store in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks - good luck with that, doesn’t take long for it to be eaten in our house!
Thank you Sing, really lovely recipe and I am grateful to share.
x
This recipe has been inspired from The Good Stuff by Lucinda Miller