Follow What Lights You Up
I have this memory of standing in my childhood bedroom thinking about the nature of time and the universe.
I couldn’t have been more than 8 or 9, but I paused and thought: What if there’s a ME that’s one second ahead in time, and another that’s one second behind? What if there’s a whole line of MEs; each one living it’s own timeline? I could see us lined up all in a row, each living just that single second. And all of us living it at the exact same time. Poof! Mind blown.
Fast forward more than 20 years to when I started learning Tantric yoga philosophy. “The yogic sages believe that past, present, future all exist at the same time”, the teacher said. I had a visceral memory of the image of all the Sarahs in a line stretching from the beginning of my life to the end.
That’s why I fell in love with Tantric philosophy. When I met it, I felt like I was remembering something I had always known. It wasn’t just this teaching. It was every teaching. I felt like they were ringing a bell deep inside that hadn’t sounded in a long time. The bell, said “Wake-up! Pay Attention! Follow this… “
I’ve been following it ever since. Even now, when new insights come (and yes, they still do), they feel like memories not acquisitions. When I learn Tantra I feel alive and like I’m coming home. I think about this sometimes when my life coaching clients feel completely lost.
All the Options
Oftentimes folks first feel stuck in their lives. That’s why they come to coaching. It’s a process that can take some time, but eventually they get un-stuck and suddenly realize they can do anything they want. If you’re stuck right now, then that kind of freedom probably sounds amazing. But when all of your limits suddenly disappear, freedom can feel pretty scary.
What Used to Light You Up?
Folks look around and wonder: “What on Earth should I do now?” That’s when we go looking for what lights them up and feels like coming home. Your Authentic life has a unique quality. It has its own vibe, resonance, and energy to it. When you feel it, you know it. It lights you up from the inside!
If you were lucky enough to have a reasonably stable childhood where you got to play, you probably felt it when you were little. But as an adult you probably follow the rules, get things done, and make sure everyone else has what they need. Most of the time doing those things feels important, but it doesn’t light you up like your Authentic life does. So, most of us think that we grow out of that lit-up feeling. But we didn’t. We just lost touch with it because we’ve spend so much time away from it.
So when clients recover their freedom, the next thing we explore is what they loved to do when they were little. When they light up about something, we know we’re on a good track. One that will point the way to their most Authentic life.
Try This
Wondering what to do with yourself for a few hours this weekend - or for the rest of your life?
Write down a list of 5 things you loved doing when you were younger.
Notice how each one feels when you write it down and star the one that feels the most light and free in your body.
Try the one you starred
Notice how it feels in your body - does it light you up? or not so much?
If you loved it, try it again sometime soon. If not, no worries, it doesn’t hold as much interest anymore. But look a little closer and see if there’s something to it that is still interesting… for example: I don’t play with Barbies anymore, but I when I did, they were often working out their friendships and relationships. I still love helping folks do that through my coaching practice.
Your body will light up and settle when you come back to your Authentic life. It feels like home, like relaxation. And even if it’s hard (like learning yoga philosophy from the 9th century) it’ll be a good kind of hard. A challenge that stretches you and makes you WANT to meet it. It’s a challenge that lights you up.
We need to Light Up
I think we all need to be lit up right now. Lit up with inspiration and enthusiasm for life. Maybe that sounds out of touch but honestly, when those around you are intentionally sowing fear to try to paralyze you into inaction - getting excited and living fully are profoundly restorative. They are a way to keep your vitality when the world tries to steal it. They are how we keep the resilience to continue to deal with… well, everything. I don’t see it as bypassing, I see it as balance.
So if you’re feeling less-than inspired, or feeling daunted by too many choices, remember back to when you were a kid. Go back to what lit you up then and give it a try. See what happens. You might just find a way back into your Authentic life.
Yoga and it’s philosophy keeps connecting me with my Authentic life - both on the mat and off. Wanna explore some of those Tantric teachings with me and Niki Schemmel? Join us for Kula Circles in the evening on 6/19, and on 7/13. For more immersive study come to the Yoga Immersion Sept 10 - 14
If you’re ready for 1:1 support through coaching. Book a connection call HERE. I’ll be accepting new clients starting in August, but we can chat now.