Atha - Now we begin.

Ok, ok...I have been a pretty sorry excuse for a blogger recently. I can say nothing more than, life happens. Moving on. I have been digging through the insane mess that is my mind lately and have been slowly working on some much needed pre-spring cleaning.  I have become aware that I am a serious hoarder of unnecessary emotional crap. There's a lot of fear stored in there, some childhood insecurities, held over anger, attachment... all in all, it's a bunch of stuff I don't need. I have been dragging this stuff with me from year to year, piling more and more on top of it. If I were equating it to a moving day I would need several U-haul's by this point. I'd take it all to Goodwill, but I don't want anyone else to have to carry it around either. The only choice is to get rid of it for good, because this is obviously not working to my advantage. In class the other day my teacher discussed the first of the Yoga Sutras. It reads: atha yoga anushasanam. Makes perfect sense right? ;) It translates to - "Now, after having done prior preparation through life and other practices, the study and practice of Yoga begins." What it is saying to me in shortened terms is "Now we begin". She spoke to us about this sutra in relation to change, in order to begin something you must decide that Now is the time to do so. What struck me the most was the atha, now, such a simple word. If things are not working the way you want them to, if your current state of mind is not benefiting you then you must decide that now it is time to change it. The way I have been going through life just isn't working. Which brings us back to my spring cleaning. Now is my time to re-organize the way I approach life. Now is the time to slough off those pieces of myself that are holding me back and push forward lighter and more efficiently toward happiness. We all have the ability to experience happiness in life. It does not have to be sacrificed to unexpected changes or old bad habits that we carry along with us, we just have to know how to maneuver through all of it. I am only hitting the tip of the iceberg in my learning and I am certain there are many more a-ha moments to come. I will try to keep up my Blog with all the helpful tidbits that come my way as I go.  But, I am amazed at the difference just this simple lesson has already made in my life. Now really is my time. What I have been doing isn't working, so time to change. All I have to do is commit to beginning.