Traveling is a great teacher. When we step out of our ordinary and habitual schedules we reconnect to meeting our basic needs-food, shelter and getting from place to place. Where will we be staying? How do we get from the airport to the hotel? Is the food safe? Is the water clean? Can I walk or do I need some other form of transport?
Having traveled to many countries in my life, including India, Peru, Ecuador and throughout Africa, they have all been a practice in meeting basic needs and once we felt safe and settled, a space of open possibility was present. Once our most basic needs were met…what will we do with our time? For me, it meant engaging in the practice of simply being and included meditation, reflection, reading, learning, exploring and experiencing all that my senses could handle.
So once we return to our every day existence, we have asked ourselves the question “How can I continue to leave space for myself, particularly when I am facing a ramping up in my schedule, returning to work or to caring for others?”.
Are you someone who molds themselves around other peoples lives be it your family, kids, job, friends or significant others? Do you give of yourself to the extent that there’s no time remaining for you?
One of my intentions is to remain in an awareness where I leave space for myself. It’s an intention of not over-scheduling or over-commiting, but practicing being OK with no firm commitment. But more so, it’s about having at least one thing that I do for myself everyday that’s beyond my basic needs.
I have heard some yoga students say recently, “I need to get back to my yoga, or I know how important making time for my yoga is…” To me, that’s leaving space for ourselves where we stay committed to doing something that nourishes and supports us on a deeper level of our being.
Perhaps this week is a good time to ask yourself the same question, “How can I leave space for myself?” and decide what that looks like within the framework of your daily life. If you need to, pencil it into your daily diary. Make an appointment with yourself. It will be the best gift you can give yourself because when we feed our own fire, we bring light to others.
