Most of us go through life with plans and expectations of how we want our journey in life to be. This can be elaborated in the story below;
A man went in search of an tropical treasure island and he only had a map and a compass to discover this island. However, he kept questioning the people around him, as to how the journey would be and of the island’s wonders . He got all sorts of answers, confusing himself. He eventually met a spiritual master who told him to experience the journey for himself. And so he decided to take the master’s advice and got on a boat to sail and discover the island. As he was sailing through the river, he went pass many scenic islands and mountains. But he couldn’t enjoy the view as he had his eyes glued to the map. He prepared himself for the sharp turns and mighty waves as its was illustrated on the map, by putting on his wet weather clothes and boots. However, when he was going through the journey the sharp turns and mighty waves never came when he expected and instead there was clam seas. When he was expecting smooth turns, he dressed himself accordingly but he experienced sharp turns and mighty waves instead, getting himself drenched from head to toe. He eventually realized that he has to be present in the moment and experience the journey for himself. So he threw away the map. And thats when he started to respond to the situation ahead of him instead of reacting to it.
Planning ahead is both absolutely necessary and completely impossible. Many of my best travel stories happened when I got lost in an unknown city. I met interesting people when I needed to ask for directions and found myself in situations I would have never got myself into if I had sticked to the plan. In doing so, I not only learnt about the city I was in, but also a little bit about myself. Getting lost allowed me to have the the most intriguing conversations with strangers who eventually became friends. I realize that when I was present, I am more receptive and let myself just receive each moment as it aries. Sometimes you need to get lost to find yourself. We all long for security, yet the great irony is that nothing is secure enough to last, even with the best planning. It is insecurity that leads to more control. We feel insecure when we forget our connection to ourselves. Then we feel afraid and try to control everything around us. Instead, spend five minutes toady sitting quietly, focusing on elongating your exhalation. By coming back to the sensations of the breath, you will be back into the present and slow down. Who knows you might even surprises yourself by throwing off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor and catch the trade winds in your sails 😉
RASHITA YOGA 