Ch-ch-changes Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes - Turn and face the strange Ch-ch-changes - Just gonna have to be a different man – David Bowie

Change is in the air. A New Year, a new President, perhaps New Year resolutions for a fabulous new you but what of the change and why be aware of it now? Some people embrace change while others never want things to change. Fear vs. Fascination. We have Science Fiction as well as The Andy Griffith Show to tell us what it may be like and to show us a familiar time that never really was. The point I’m getting at is with all these changes what about now? Right here, right now, fully present in the now. Change is constant. We live breath to breath, moment to moment. Our awareness, however, generally is planning the future or contemplating the past. When events happen such as a New Year, a change in power, etc. happen, we take a moment to realize that time isn’t simply standing still. We are faced with the strange. That strange is where we let the fear in. From a yogic perspective, think back to the first time you walked into a studio, perhaps you went with friends or maybe it was by yourself. Were you quiet? Maybe embarrassed to take off your shoes? The teacher was certainly speaking a different language (literally) and maybe you didn’t have enough strength or flexibility to do the things being asked of you. Where are you now? Are you in the same place? If you are reading this I’m guessing not. So what happened? You’ve been through changes, your body and mind have responded, you are simply no longer who you were the first time you walked in the door. Life is like that as well. We build up these walls around us thinking we can somehow stop time and life subtly passes by. You’ve no doubt heard the saying you can’t go home again and I will say it’s true. I grew up a military brat but I’ve also had the good fortune to go revisit the places I once lived, I even met someone I knew when we were younger (And maybe we had a school age crush on each other) So what happened. Nothing fit the way I remembered. The houses seemed smaller as did the neighborhoods. The fact is they were the same, it was my boundaries and relationship with the world that had grown. I had changed. As for the girl, after knowing each other in the 4th grade, we were friendly but barely spoke our senior year in High School. We had nothing left in common except being young together briefly. If you’ve been in my class more than once, you’ve probably heard me cue you to your breath and to “Be Here Now”. In the present, it’s always now. It creates space for change. When I get ahead or behind myself in my thinking, I’m coming from a place of ego. I think I can direct the future or change the past. I, as in me, as in the power belongs to me. It’s all an illusion of course and one of the root causes of a great deal of suffering but when I am present, in the moment, I actually have the power to act, I have choice and it’s no longer an illusion. The key to change is not getting stuck in the transition. I’m not suggesting you don’t make those New Year-New Me resolutions. Write them down. Make them real. Just don’t get hung up on them until you are ready to make the changes. There isn’t anything wrong with making plans, in fact John Lennon once said, life happens while you are busy making them. Just don’t live in the plans. Embrace change for what it is, an opportunity to grow. Leave tomorrow to tomorrow and the past in the past. Life is happening now it’s beautiful and it would be a shame to miss it.