Beginner’s Mind

Last week I bumped into someone I hadn’t seen in 15 years and she told me that I looked exactly the same.

While I definitely have changed over the years (and I welcome aging gracefully!), I think she was simply seeing my energy, which is one that consistently leans toward a youthful desire for learning.

Nearly five decades of journeying in this lifetime has shown me that everyone and everything has something to teach me.

Every child, every animal, every stone, every tree, every light beam, and every so-called “stranger” has the capacity to reveal to me who I am. They can teach me to remember my original essence, my true self.

This outlook is one that carries a frequency of creation and wards off calcification.

This year I’ve heeded the call to finally enroll in a formal yoga teacher training program, even though I’ve practiced yoga for 35 years and have also taught yoga. I’m truly thrilled to have the opportunity to deepen my practice and understanding of this modality, which has nurtured me for so long.

After I signed up, the program facilitator reached out to let me know that my knowledge and experience would likely be more “advanced” than most of the other students and that, even though I already had a strong handle on some of the material, my attendance would still be expected at all sessions.

I let her know that this would not be a problem and that I’m still a beginner anyway because I tend to embody the eternal beginner—even with subjects that I teach!

The energy of January invites you to tune into your own beginner’s mind.

What are you expert in and where can you deepen your understanding?

Where have you gone on auto-pilot and how can you approach from a fresh perspective?

And finally, notice when you assume something about someone or some thing . . . You know what you make when you assume . . . .