Summertime is a great time to change our perspectives. This summertime I’ve ditched my day to day routines and habits and I’m trying new things out. Discovering, learning, exploring. Summertime is a great time to do this because it all feels like play. If feels like fun to try something out, shake out of our daily habits and just let go of what we normally like to do. I’ve been discovering the art of surrender. And trying new things, getting out of our own way, breaking out of our comfort zone. Well, that’s what the real juice of life is all about, I think.
Opening the body, opening the mind
In the podcast this week Rakhee asked me about change and how I changed from being a lawyer, and how I deal with the change of running a small business. One of the many reasons I love my yoga practice so much is that it gets me thinking in different ways. Moving my body somehow, through some kind of magic, seems to help to shift my mind as well. Having a more open body, a more flexible body also, bizarrely, seems to open my mind. When I move mindfully, breathing slowly, my mind becomes steadier. I begin to notice my thoughts more, I notice that my thoughts come and go, and they’re not ‘me’, they’re just fleeting, sometimes interesting – mostly repetitive streams. So steadying the mind and noticing the movements and thoughts inside my head somehow lead me to identify less with these thoughts.
The art of surrender
And that’s when interesting things start to happen to me. When I realise that I don’t need to madly follow my thoughts like Alice down the rabbit hole, it gives me space to see the well, vastness of the world. My thoughts are a little silly, irrelevant, compared to the real things in the world. The ground, the grass beneath my feet, the trees… And when my mind is open and a little quieter, I can start to let go.
Surrendering to the patterns of the universe
I realise that I don’t need to follow my thoughts, I can surrender to the patterns of the universe. For me, it’s that surrender which has been key to the way I’ve run MFML. It started with my surrender, experienced through a yoga nidra practice. That surrender is something that I work with daily in my movement, qigong, yoga and meditation practices. I also realise, and I feel deeply, that I don’t actually ‘run’ Movement for Modern Life. It tends to run me.
I have just surrendered to opening to situations, opportunities and people. And that enables change to happen, and rather miraculously, nearly seven years in, the Movement is still moving forward. I welcome change as something beautiful because it truly is opportunity. When I become still enough to see that all I need to do is surrender to the flow and to let go. The changes and transitions brought by the art of surrender are something that can truly be welcomed.
About Kat Farrants
Movement for Modern Life’s fabulous founder Kat Farrants lives her yoga and her own yoga practice informs how she develops MFML. Kat wrote this post using inspiration of how she can take the small steps to move into a happier, healthier and more sustainable life. Please do join her on this journey and explore with us your happiest, healthiest, most sustainable life.
I heart felt thank you for movement for modern life. I have been going through my own life changes and these days my income is more limited. Yoga lessons are expensive which is only fair to the teachers but now beyond me to have regular classes other than pure gym.
MFML has been a fantastic resource, I really love it. From Norman Blair to Lucy McCarthy, teachers to suit my mood and need. I can honestly say these streamed classes are more satisfying than many of the classes I have attended over the 40 odd years I have been practicing.
Gosh what a beautiful, uplifting, positive message to receive. Thank you so very, very much. I really am so chuffed that you like our classes as much as I do, and I’m just so glad that we help you to do your practice to these amazing teachers with a limited income. That’s just what we’re about and this message really does make all the hard work from me and all the team so very worthwhile. Thank you so very, very much for taking the time to let me know, and for supporting us. With immense gratitude Kat x