The Yoga in Front of You

Since you, like me, always have been and always will be,
now ease into your dharma
and be that which you must be for this time
and this place right now.

- Author Unknown
 
This short poem expresses the essence of the teachings in chapter two of the  Bhagavad Gita. It speaks to the paradoxical understanding of the human being in yoga as an embodied spirit, a timeless, transcendent essence bound up in the manifest world of time and place, name and form.
 
Maybe right now isn’t the time for grand visioning or laying out big plans. Maybe it’s a time to focus on what’s right before you, to put one foot in front of the other, and respond to the needs and circumstances of your life. To be that which you must be for this time and this place.
 
Yoga offers us the possibility of holding a kind of dual recognition: Staying aware of our unchanging Self while being fully engaged in the actions of everyday life.
 
How do these two perspectives of who you are – both transcendent and manifest - work together to help you navigate life with greater skill and ease? 
 
In my experience, continuing to nurture my connection to a more expanded sense of self - even when outer life gets rocky – helps to put all the little nagging things into a bigger and more manageable perspective. It helps me regain clarity and peace of mind when the challenges and complexities of this time feel heavy.
 
As you forge a relationship with your inner being, the steadiness and wisdom of that place becomes available to you. It stays with you as move back into your life. It infuses everyday actions with greater presence, equanimity, and caring attention so you can practice the yoga of what’s right in front of you.