Do What You Love

(Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash)

This year I’m taking a 300-hour advanced yoga teacher training course. Most of the training hours are dedicated to intensive online study with our teacher.  But we also have a 30-hour independent study project that we get to choose.  That means 30 hours (one tenth) of this huge training are up to us to do with what we wish. 

It’s kind of a cool thing to be given an assignment to do whatever I want to do. But it’s also daunting.  I spend so much of my time doing things to help other people feel good that, given the choice to do something I want to do, I get stuck whenever I think about it.

WHAT YOU DON’T WANT TO DO

It’s so funny.  We’re grown adults.  We could always choose to do what we want to do.  But most of us don’t.  Most of us choose to do the thing that puts us ahead or helps us catch up.  Maybe we answer a few extra work emails on the weekend.  Or we do the laundry even though we don’t need to yet.  We clean out the bottom of the refrigerator, not because we love to do it, but because we think it’s something a grown adult should do.  Besides, we think, living with science experiments in there is embarrassing.

Over days, weeks, months, and years of being on the hamster wheel of doing what needs to be done, we forget how important it is to do things that feed our souls.  Our lives and interests get narrow.  Our focus gets rigid.  We feel like we can’t let go or rest anymore, because of the relentless To-Do list.  There’s always something more that needs our attention.  Passion projects, creative endeavors, and joyful pursuits become things of the past.  If you feel heavy just reading this, it’s with good reason.  Your soul dies a little more each year that you spend your life on the hamster wheel.

CAN YOU DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO?

That’s why I think I’m lucky that my teacher assigned the independent study project.  It makes me stop and consider how to spend a good chunk of time.  There are a million things I could do; some of which would make me money or move my yoga business forward.   But only one idea makes my heart sing.  By assigning this project, my teacher gave me permission to drop all the “shoulds” and “have-tos” and follow my heart.  Thats why instead of creating a new yoga series or an online class library I’m finally learning how to play my harmonium.  

You probably aren’t going to have an assignment like this drop into your lap any time soon.  That’s too bad because there isn’t anything to kick you off the hamster wheel.  That means, if you want to reclaim your soul’s joy, you’re going to have to do it yourself.  

How strange is it to think that you could just go do something you want to do today?   Right now.   I mean, if you’ve gotten this far into reading this (and I hope you’re enjoying it!) surely, you could spend the next 5 or 10 minutes doing something that makes your heart happy.  

Probably as soon as I mentioned doing something for fun an argument came up.  Your mind is tricky.  It will try to talk you out of following your heart because it thinks you’re much safer on the hamster wheel of obligation. (Thank you late capitalism)  But remember, you don’t have to listen to your mind.  It has ideas about how you should live your life, but most times it doesn’t take your happiness, sanity, or joy into account when it makes its plans for you.   

GO WITH YOUR HEART

When it comes to living a Heartful life, I hope you won’t listen to your mind.  Instead,  I really hope you’ll do some things that you want to do … and that want you to do them. Here’s why…

The things that want to be done are the things that will make you feel whole again.  Your Heart cries out for experiences that will help it open, heal, and rest.  It craves the very activities that land you in your joy and ignite your spirit.  When you follow your Heart, and feed it the things it needs, you feel refreshed, nourished, and deeply cared for.  Life opens up. There’s a spring in your step, a sparkle in your eye.  And you feel ALIVE again.  

HERE’S YOUR ASSIGNMENT

You may not be taking a big training right now, so I’m assigning you these few steps to encourage you do to something that makes your Heart sing….

• Get quiet for a second.  Right here, Right now. Pause

• Place your right hand on your heart and take a deep breath

• Ask: What do you want to do?

• Listen for the answer - it could come in images, sounds, sensations .. anything

• DO IT!   Not because you “have to” or you “should”. Do it because you want to.

• {{ BONUS POINTS FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT: Tell me about it - Leave a message in the comments or send me a personal message to tell me how it goes.   I’m serious, I’m giving out stickers if you actually do this and tell me about it! }}

FOR YOUR LIFE

Remember what’s at stake —- your life. Well, your quality of life. Your spirit. Your very sense of Being. Ok, maybe that’s dramatic, your Beingness never changes, but your connection to it feels stronger when you’re listening to your Heart more than your head.  

Heartful embodiment means letting the wisdom of your heart lead you home to yourself.  Then living from that deeper sense of home.  It means that you go where your Heart leads without letting your mind trick you into staying on the hamster wheel of obligation.  

Give your heart some love by doing things that light it up.  The magic is that you’ll soon feel that love come radiating back out to you and everyone around you.