During yoga class this morning at Yoga Vida, our instructor was having us move in a steady flow until we got to the balancing poses. The first he called out was tree which is one I love for obvious reasons since I am a huge tree lover. As he guided us on how to achieve tree pose, he said something very wise (as he does quite often) that inspired me to want to write about it.
He said, “Stand for one thing, don't fall for everything.” What first came to mind was youth, and how we have a tendency in our youth to not know ourselves as well and as a result not really know what it is that we actually want.
He then said something along the lines of, “if we don't know what it is that we want to stand for, then we often times end up falling for everything or anything or the wrong thing.” What then came to mind was values, and how if we don't really know what it is that we value, we can often times get mixed up with people or end up in places that have nothing to do with what our core self truly desires.
In the last few years, I have been working on trying to get more in touch with myself to really figure out who I am, what it is that I really want out of life, what my values are, and what it is that I stand for. By learning how to root and connect, these things have become much more clear. Thankfully!
The topic of values is one that I introduce to my clients in group. During discussion, I have them list their top 5 values and then ask them to reflect on whether or not their current life choices match up with their list. Some faces light up as though they have discovered the reason for or the solution to their life's problems while other faces look disappointed about their lack of discernment.
Have you ever taken the time to sit down and list your top 5 values or even just your number 1 value?
If not, I encourage you to as way of getting more in touch with what it is you truly stand for. I'll go ahead and share mine to help you get started:
Truth
Faith
Connection/Understanding
Love for self and others (this includes self care and having compassion towards self)
Adventure