shift in seasons... and in life

Tonight I subbed for another yoga teacher and had one person show up to class. While there is a certain energy in large classes, I do like having small groups, and every now and then, when only one person shows up, it creates an opportunity to really get to know someone in your class and tailor the class to his or her needs. The sweet lady (I will refer to her as M in the rest of this post) who came to class had just retired and was getting more and more into yoga. Fantastic!

Fall is such a time of transition - in nature, in our own schedules. Gone are the long, idyllic days of summer; they have now been replaced with this seemingly constant state of busyness.

Not that I even really had many of those long, idyllic summer days. Somehow this fall - and this semester - just started with a bang and my work seems to have quadrupled. And I feel my lack of focus as I am pulled in many different directions. My energy level seemed to change with every change in direction of the wind. I felt like my energy was all over the place, and yet at the same time, I felt exhausted.

M was in a time of transition herself, having just retired. I can't imagine what a challenge it must be to let go of something that has been part of your identity for years, even decades.

So we did a lot of grounding in our yoga practice. And during our opening meditation, I read this excerpt from one of my favorite bedside books, Transitions: Prayers and Declarations for a Changing Life by Julia Cameron:

"The natural world teaches us the power of change. As seasons shift, I see the purpose and beauty of life's cyclicality. I see the promise of spring, the ripening of summer, the bounty of harvest and the mysterious containment of winter. All seasons work for the good. So it is, too, with the changing cycles of my life. As I surrender to the wisdom of a higher plan, I discover in all circumstances the opportunity for growth and expansion. There is no season in my life that is without worth. There is no season in my life that does not unfold my highest good. Challenged by difficult times, I choose to affirm the goodness of life's timing. 

Today I commit myself to actively seeking the benefit hidden in adversity, the wisdom inherent in all timing."

This is one of my many dog-eared pages from my book. I love the universality of Julia Cameron's words.

At the end of class, M said to me: "That sounded like it was written just for me."

Truth be told, I felt the exact same way.