Tag: new beginning

New Beginnings

by Claudia Fountain, posted in New Beginnings

AUM

original, primordial seed sound
new beginnings, the will to create

It’s the start of a new decade, the perfect time to invite something fresh to enter our lives!  What if, instead of making resolutions (the word alone sounds heavy and totally not fun!), we learn, explore, play, create, give to others, and give ourselves space to grow mentally, physically, spiritually……

Maybe this year you decide to try one new thing?  Just one new thing.  It could be anything from taking a class on how to draw, to volunteering for a local animal rescue and foster program, or buying a new houseplant and learning how to keep it alive (yep, go online and learn how to take care of plants!).

Doing something new could also be practicing the art of letting go, or decluttering your life of s t u f f–clean out one drawer a week of things you haven’t worn or used in over a year.  Or, go through one box a month (you know…those boxes that have been sitting in storage somewhere gathering dust), and make a game of what can be donated, given away, or sold.

‘What shape waits
in the seed of you
to grow and spread
its branches
against a future sky?’
–David Whyte
from “What to Remember When Waking”
.
When I first began my yoga practice I would go through periods of dedicated time on my mat and my meditation cushion, and periods where I would drift away from it.  Out and back, out and back, like waves rolling on and off a beach.  I like to think of this phenomenon as very normal–and very human.  Eventually, those gaps became smaller, until one day it just settled.  My meditation practice is the linchpin of my day.  Every morning, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or something in between, it happens.  It’s embedded in my morning just as brushing my teeth and showering is.  It didn’t happen over night, or because I told myself, “I should.”   I believe that a genuine interest in what I was learning and practicing is what made it happen.

So, let’s begin this decade by being open to trying new things.  It may be all about clearing out the old (mentally, physically) to make room for something new to appear.   Or, going out and exploring!  Look for the thing that really piques your interest, and then learn everything there is to know about it.  Make it fun, make it light (don’t obsess about how well or not you do it), and see where it takes you.

See you on the mat!

P.S.  The sound OM/AUM is considered to be the original, primordial sound that created the universe.  It contains the root, or seed, of all sound.  It is the energy vibrating behind, and within everything.  Chanting the sound OM helps us connect to that vibrational energy.   Begin or end your day, by listening to or chanting the sound of OM for five minutes.  Rest in the silence following, for as long as you like.  Find the sound of OM here:  https://soundcloud.com/krishna-bhaktin/om-meditation-deep-relaxation