One of my favorite Peter Paul and Mary songs is Blowing in the Wind.
We live in a culture often driven by lack. The feeling that there is always something missing…there is something better around the corner…the grass is greener. And, let’s not forget the Joneses and keeping up with them. This feeling of lack starts early on in childhood as comparison begins. We begin to observe each other and pre-established western societal judgments proliferate. The feeling of judgment and lack creates stress at the body level. This stress expresses itself as many forms of imbalance and dis-ease.
We are trying to catch the wind. And our perception is that someone else has got the wind and they have it better. We are trying to establish control over something that does not exist. We are trying to catch something that cannot be held. Once you hold the wind too tightly in a sail, it dies, it no longer exists. It only exists when it is allowed to flow freely letting the sail out just enough so that it can play and move. We try to control our happiness as well. We try to hold on to relationships, health and wealth. The tighter we hold on the more struggles we encounter and our sail dies. Often times we hear of people who have struggled and worked very hard to attain society’s drivers with the belief that these will make them happy – only to realize that these will not be the source of their joy.
Happiness exists just as the wind exists in nature effortlessly. In yoga when I remind my students that they are enough, that they are full and have everything they need inside themselves already I can see them drop into their bodies; immediately a peace and joy comes over them. I do the same with my children. I remind them that they know their truth. I do this for myself. I observe when I feel lack in myself and practice knowing that I am full. This innate self-value, self-love simply exists like the wind exists. It is an unending source. Close your eyes right now and sense the inner core of who you are. Sense that indeed it is complete and is it full. There is no lack. From this place of truth comes stress relief. The body is given the green light to restore to its preferred biological state which is health. Knowing that you are full, you have an unending source of love that continues to feed intimate relationships and creative fulfillment.
“The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind the answer is blowin’ in the wind.”
Sailing “close-hauled” toward the wind, playing with just the right amount of wind, is often the most challenging point of sail; it can also feel the most fulfilling. You allow the wind to live in your sail and it will get you home. I invite you to play. Allow the wind to play in your sail. Allow happiness to play in your soul.