Purposefulness

Carroll Lewis wrote “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Where is there? Do you actually want to arrive at there? You will end up somewhere at the end of 2020, but will it be where you want? Intentional living will give you a better chance at having a more interesting journey and a better outcome.

This is comparable to the difference in awareness between being a passenger in a car or the driver. As a passenger, you do not pay anywhere near the same amount of attention as when you are driving.

New Year resolutions may seem a bit childish or twee, but they can be a useful tool for gaining clarity about your desires and goals. Even if you fail at your resolutions within a few days, you still took steps to guide your life in the direction of your dreams. Some direction is better than none. Some practice is better than none.

Your life-force or spirit is a light and it can be focused, just like a flashlight with an adjustable beam. The sweaty part of a yoga practice is comparable to the cleansing of the lens. The light shines more clearly when the lens is clean. But, you also need to adjust the intensity of the light. A wide beam is useful for the immediate area and a narrower, more focused beam is better for piercing into the darkness.

Meditation helps you learn how to adjust your light. Light is tricky and quickly dissipates. You can’t hold it in your hand, but you can direct it with your mind. The concentration we develop in Asana, is essential to learning how to concentrate in Meditation.

Wishful thinking, daydreaming, or sitting down and watching your thoughts is not meditation. These non-techniques do not focus the mind. With enough of these non-practices you will end up with a squishy, weak mind. You would not deliberately deflate the tires on your car, so don’t do it to your mind.

Make a list of 3 things you would like to change or improve upon. Do a little brainstorming on how you can improve these 3 things. Come up with an action plan – what are you going to do? Many small steps are better than a radical change. Your plan has to be believable to be achievable.

Make your life intentional, a life of purposefulness. Get some clarity and move in that direction. You have a great set of tools with Knoff Yoga. Become a master tradesmen (person) and create a masterpiece. You will be happier and the world will benefit.

By Master Teacher James Bryan