In today’s dose of life inspiration, Brittney Hall, an Industrial Engineer and certified Yogi, shares yoga wisdom for everyday life.
People often believe that yoga is simply a conglomeration of poses sequenced together to only benefit the practitioner from a physical standpoint, but really the poses are only an eighth of an overall yoga practice. The 1st limb of yoga are the yamas which are considered the outer disciplines. There are five yamas with the last being Aparigraha, Non-Attachment.
“The object of yoga is to add vitality to your life, not to consume it.”
Many times, we become attached to what is comfortable whether it be a job, a relationship, or material things. This same dilemma is often realised on our yoga mats – we become attached to a certain pose, a certain spot in class, a certain teacher… the list goes on and on. It is often difficult to let go because it requires us to step outside of our comfort zone and trek into the unknown, not knowing if we will succeed. Oprah said it best, “There is no such thing as failure – Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction”. So in a sense, every move is a success, because we are constantly learning something about ourselves along the way that is guiding us towards our Divine Purpose, but we will never know what we are capable of accomplishing when we never take the chance to step out on faith, and challenge our personal edge. When we hold onto things, we do not allow God to bless us with more. A closed hand cannot receive, but instead, rejects other blessings, not allowing God to really show out in our lives.
As an Industrial Engineer (IE), I remember one of my favorite professors, Dr. Bonnie Boardman, often referred to us as “Agents of Change”. As an IE, we are constantly determining ways to improve processes and systems. Dr. Boardman warned us that throughout our career, we would run into naysayers, cynics, and resistors who would fight us along the way because they were not ready for change.
Opportunities don’t happen, you create them
During my internship at a manufacturing facility, my counterpart, Mikey and I, were given a project to study, assess, and implement improvements to the shipping and receiving dock at the facility. Upon our arrival, we were met with glares, cold shoulders, and heavy resistance from some of the employees because they knew that IEs could potentially make their work harder. This was certainly true because anytime we are presented with an opportunity to make an improvement, it does require work. While innovation requires work, there is definitely reward on the other end.
Be open to change
Mikey and I continued with our project, and slowly began to make changes to the receiving dock layout and workflow. We made sure to include input from the employees as they had worked there for years, and did have certain knowledge that benefited the overall process. Little by little, we laid tape, transferred data from papers to the enterprise database, improving the work flow. After we completed our assignment, we reviewed the changes with the employees, and walked them through all the improvements. After a few days, the employees expressed great gratitude for all the work we put in because the changes had enhanced their overall quality of work, making their lives much easier! Two years later, Mikey and I came back to the facility, and saw that our work flow implementation was still being utilised! What a success in creating positive and sustainable change! We were so grateful to the employees who allowed us into their workspace, and worked with us to make the necessary modifications to transform their work space… but only after putting in the work – the work being stepping out of their comfort zones, letting go of the familiar, and being open to change.
You gotta keep moving; stagnation kills
As a yoga instructor, I often offer adjustments to students that I feel are ready, and would benefit from a loving touch to get them deeper into a pose. Many students prefer not to be touched due to injuries which is perfectly understandable, but then there are those who steer away from advanced classes, poses, and adjustments because they have always done a pose a certain way, and are unwilling to step out into the unknown, but if you “do what you’ve always done, you will get what you always got”. There is no growth in stagnation. Anything that does not grow will eventually fall behind, stunting growth, innovation, and advancement.
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The only thing constant is change
Change surrounds us every day from the change in seasons, to the growth of our children and pups, to even our own growth whether it be physical, emotional, or even spiritual. We should strive to constantly innovate, and transform.
“Do not conform to the PATTERN of this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will.” Romans 12:2
I want God’s perfect will to be done to my life, and many times that means stepping out on faith – letting go of our own crutches, and getting out of our own way; no longer letting fear take hold of the steering wheel. I no longer want to stifle my blessings by keeping a closed fist around what is comfortable. I constantly strive to improve my physical abilities and my faith by allowing God to work IN and THROUGH me. Know that we do not have to do all of this alone. We have a magnificent Father ready to receive us with open arms as we make these leaps into our purpose, or divine destiny. Allow Him to demonstrate His magnificent Power to the world through your life… on and off your mat.
Brittney is a yoga teacher, writer and speaker. Between yoga poses and practice, She shares with her audience the importance of adding yoga to your fitness routine. Connect with her here
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