late last night i was reading, and trying to get a plan together to get some writing done during this move. i have a feeling it is totally unrealistic, but when you have three ideas for articles that will not leave you alone, you know it is a good idea to get them down and work them out. and yet- when i have so much on my plate at once- things can come to a stand still for me.
and then i started reading about tapas. in yoga, tapas is the intensity or drive that we bring to things. it is the engine, so to speak, that propels us into action. in our lives, so many of us are driven, and are going non-stop- but to what end? i want to use tapas to fan the flames of a healthy, balanced life- not to drive myself into a state of burnout. through this reading i realized that i may need to save all my drive and intensity for the moving process- and save the work projects for april.
there is a healthy way to engage our lives so that we are motivated and pro-active while maintaining a sense of being grounded. Bo Forbes mentions in this great article, that the way to accomplish this is with our intention. Forbes states that it is our intention, or sankalpa, which "acts as a guiding sutra, or "thread," that we weave throughout our yoga practice, on and off the mat." i could not have said this more beautifully. it is our sankalpa which gives us direction, and acts as a reminder of what is at the heart of all this activity in our lives.
i am working on applying these ideas to my everyday life. what for me is just busy activity, and not rooted by my intention? what activity keeps me from being present and calm, and what really is steering me towards my goals? i would love to hear how these ideas apply to your life right now.
{for more on tapas, there is more great insight here and here}
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