Time is our most precious gift yet the one we tend to take for granted. It was my birthday this week and a few good friends gifted me their time. The day started with me laughing out loud as I continually discovered small notes in every nook and cupboard wishing me well…small deeds done with love and good will which really touched me. Later the day I was reminded that many hands make light work when friends visited to help with some DIY….even more so when I got to do the light work and they did the heavy stuff!! Not only did the wall they took down let in more light to my garden, but they brought a lightness to my day and a brightness to my smile!
In today’s world of material possessions it is the kind words, the small thoughtful deeds and the time spent with others that provides the memories. As we get older our time becomes more precious and we tend to spend it more wisely- in doing less!! These days where stress is the norm..and almost expected. It is almost accepted that people are too busy to spare friends quality time, and to wander or potter and just enjoy being in the moment is often termed ‘wasting’ time. Who are we to define a waste of time? Is not a life spent rushing around achieving, yet not enjoying or even noticing each moment, more of a waste of time.
I have friends who are bored, with no motivation to enjoy their lives and they spend the hours frittering money and emotion searching for entertainment. Other friends spend long days in the office or traveling and revel in the short quality time they get with family or friends. I feel that I am slowly learning to find the middle ground, where I am scheduling time for myself as much as work appointments. Where although I love my ‘job’ I do not let it consume my time to the exclusion of friends or time for myself.
Earlier this year when I lost a good friend I promised myself to make more time for enjoying the now and not postpone my fun, friends or family until tomorrow. Spending my birthday in the company of great people as well teaching some fantastic students at my Cuddington yoga class allowed me to savour many of the aspects of my life that make it special. I also came across a list of things people wish to do before they die…sometimes called the ‘bucket list’. It got me thinking about the goals I have set myself for this year…and how I’m doing in my pursuit of them! They do involve driving across Europe (planned), teaching a workshop (done) and learning to dance (though the latter may take a while and a lot of patience!!). However I’ve also realized that I have already achieved a lot of the things that make me happy, and that a long list may stop me feeling and enjoying each individual goal. As my teacher once told us…a good practice need not include many postures but each one will touch you in some way and have an effect on your state of being. That is my bucket list….to do the things that touch me and maybe change me.
Every day I am grateful to have the opportunity to live, learn & practice my yoga both on and off the mat. These days I am loving having more time to do it and less stress about how quickly it happens and I’m enjoying the greater awareness that yoga brings to my life. Both internal and externally appreciating the world through clearer vision.
As Patanjali’s yoga sutra 1.3 tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam explains so much better in discussing how when the clouds are removed it can be seen that the sun was always there, merely hidden by the clouds of our minds!!