If we look at life through the cycle of a wild flower. A seed is blown by the wind and it lands on fertile soil. The rain waters it, the sun warms it and based on it receiving just the right amount of everything it needs, it germinates and a sprout is born. Again based on it receiving everything that it requires, it may continue to grow and at its peak will blossom and flower, basking in all its glory. The flower will then wilt and lose its leaves. And will fall back down to earth where it once came from, but not before leaving behind its seeds, which it sheds to the winds in the hope of continuing its place in cycle of life. The plant then shrivels and passes away. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust….. leaf to soil.

What is secure about that? What lasts?

Other than the cycle itself.

Yet why do we cling to security? What is really secure about our life?

Our cycle?

Learning to embrace uncertainty, accept the unknown even welcome ‘not knowing’

Life is unpredictable. We like to make it into as much of a routine as possible, to feel ‘safe’. We like to tie things down to feel ‘secure’. We get attached to people, to buildings, to jobs, to cars even. It is said that this attachment is what causes suffering. Yet to many, this is their false sense of security.

Life is not like that. In fact it is the very opposite of that. It is constantly changing. Consistently shifting. Life, like the seasons cannot be stopped.

Yet to let go of the security that we have built up around us is hard.

Security is a myth.

In the cycle of the wild flower… what is secure?

Other than the fact that we are all going to die.

We are all going to die at some point.

None of us are getting out alive.

We should try to find relief in that. To relax into it and enjoy each day.

If the flower does not get what it needs in the right balance, then it’s chances are slim.

Yet we forget that. We get so caught up in our distraction. Making everything ‘safe’ that we forget that nothing is.

We forget to live.

We forget to enjoy life to its extreme.

We forget to love fully and openly as if we were never going to get the chance again.

We forget to say sorry and we hold onto our burdens and grudges for years, causing ourselves more pain than it is worth.

We find fault in those around us, we criticise and judge and condemn. We moan and we whinge about the very people that we are supposed to love.

We forget to ‘let go’ to dance like no one is watching. To drop all of our insecurities and inhibitions and to just be in that moment.

We forget to live…….

Yet isn’t that what we are practicing in Ashtanga Yoga?

Aren’t we trying to be more present. To pay attention to the breath. For paying attention to the breath is paying attention to life itself. To enjoy each breath. To remember that it is a wonderful thing. This gift called life…..

A gift that we won’t always have.

WE should remember that each and every day.

Easy to say.

Easy to forget.

Hard to practice.

My little brother was recently diagnosed with a brain tumour. After undergoing brain surgery and making a swift recovery, I was delighted to find him with a new spring in his step; a new love of life.

He says that he feels that every day, since the surgery, is a bonus day. He has a new sense of gratitude towards his friends and family and loved ones. He has found a new appreciation for health and his body. He is studying nutrition and looking at all the different things the body requires to remain optimum health.

A new thirst for life…

It is so easy to take life for granted. Until, we are reminded bluntly, that it is not going to last forever.

Life is a gift.

None of us know how long we have left, so we had better start making the most of it. Right here, right now.

Start where you are says Pema Chodran. Start where you are.

Start:

To do more of what you love.

To appreciate all that you have got.

To LOVE those around you, instead of finding faults.

To love them madly, deeply and wildly for all that they are.

To climb those hills and walk in those woods.

To watch the green finches sitting on long grass.

To stay up late and look for shooting stars.

To bathe by the waterfall or IN the waterfall if you are brave enough (I do live in Scotland – my waterfall is ice cold!)

My brother wanted for one thing; to share with the people who were not feeling this buzz for life, to share this with them.

So from him, to me, to you…… get your butt out there and enjoy your day.

Embrace the impermanence of this day, of this season, of this year, of this life…..

Enjoy it while you can.

For this day belongs to you…… This moment is all you really have….

 Live every day like it is your first.