Proactivity vs Receptivity

One month has flown by! The first week stateside was quite an adjustment, especially getting over the fact that a lunch out cost my entire day's budget in Bali or India, but things have gone surprisingly smooth. I've had the luxury of time, seeing as there was no job waiting for me and no real obligations to rush back to. In fact, I hadn't even made the commitment to stay in Philly until the day I was boarding a plane from Bali.

Within a week and a half of being back, I'd been offered six steady yoga classes (organized in a totally awesome dreamworld schedule nonetheless). Feeling welcomed, I began my search for a place to live in Philly. While I slept on friends' couches and in spare rooms, I was scouring craigslist and Zillow for my new home. Despite the diligent research and extending a very flexible schedule to prospective landlords, nothing was sticking. I spun my wheels and had to wonder "Am I really supposed to stay here?". It wasn't until I basically threw my hands up in the air in surrender that opportunity came knocking - and I mean it came to me within hours and by no effort of my own. A lovely room in a perfect house in the neighborhood I love with passionate housemates. After I visited, I completely stopped looking into other places. I neatly tucked all my eggs into that basket and sat back. You'd think I'd learned my lesson about asking the Universe for signs, but I put it out there that if this room didn't pan out, I'd take that as a message to pack my bags and leave again.

Coming back to Philly and postponing more travel was a hard decision. I have a community I love, connections I want to nurture, and a diverse neighborhood actively fighting for the most pressing issues of the recent times. I opted to stay put because I want to grow my roots. I want to feel grounded, stable, and like I have a strong foundation from which I can build up all my biggest dreams. I want a homebase that I can serve from. In the first few days of my return I was so desperately seeking those things that it was like jamming a shovel into concrete and expecting it to give way to my force. Until I surrendered, asked the Universe and Grace to assist me, I was fighting so much that I couldn't receive.

There's certainly times where proactive grounding are necessary, but I'd venture to say that just as often we can simply open ourselves to the support and stability this Earth naturally provides for us. We can push our feet into the ground, but she will unwaveringly rise up to hold us anyway. Unless you've learned to levitate (teach me?), you're foundation will always be there. Our practice both on and off the mat is to find that delicate balance between proactivity and receptivity. To embody the difference between rooting our hands and feet in Downward Facing Dog and receiving the holding of the ground as we melt into Savasana.

By the way, after nearly 3 weeks of waiting, I got the room. Philly, looks like you're stuck with me for at least a bit longer :)

Where you can you soften and receive a bit more? Can you distinguish the times when it will best serve you to release control and surrender to the support of the Universe, the Earth, and Grace? Here's to you taking a well deserved break and allowing yourself to receive all the beautiful things you've got coming for you.