How to Ride the Waves - 1st PointerMost of us at some time or another, feel like a beginner on a surf board ... wobbling from side to side and with no clue as to how or where to plant our feet. Life has a way of tipping us into rough waters unexpectedly. Knowing how to swim doesn't always keep us afloat. Before you know it, the next wave has hit.Helpful suggestions such as "engaging your abdominals," or "grounding your feet", provides little value when life presents with its downpour. We soon discover climbing back on the board is not always that easy.So, how do we stay dry in these challenging moments? How do we balance the board without falling off each time?We've all read numerous articles about staying healthy, eating the right foods and working out the body. Experience has shown us that such advice can make us feel better. However "better" doesn't always equate to "balanced." And if it does, feeling balanced usually comes with more of a short term guarantee than a long one. We might feel and look great on the outside when asked to stretch out our bodies on the yoga mat, lift weights or eat vegetarian food, but is this enough to balance our boards internally? These techniques might keep us upright when the small waves hit, but how dependable are they when the tidal waves strike? Isn't the answer in something more constant and trustworthy when difficult times inevitably appear?When you look at life with wide angled lenses, you realise that those wobbles and falls, are life. They are a natural part of life. Without rough waters we would hardly recognise or appreciate the calm. Balance is not easily recognised without the wobbles appearing first. Turbulence is a necessary component of finding balance, at least in the early stages of learning how to surf.Seeing the entire spans of the ocean allows an understanding and respect for all aspects of life more fully. Rather than reject what shows up, we see life's nature in its complete expression.Clearer seeing enables a letting go of our tight grip on what's not in our control. We realise how our expectations of what should and shouldn't be, actually cause us to tip. When we finally arrive at this understanding, our resistance begins to subside. We bow humbly to our distorted sense of entitlement that expects that life should flow only our way.With a heightened sense of awareness acceptance plants it's seeds. We allow the experience of falling off the board to be part of riding on the board. And so, we relax more and breathing becomes slower. Our whole being feels lighter, freer and our feet steadier on the board. From this quieter space, we locate the anchor and sense it's stillness deep within. Our true starting point is discovered and now the ride finally begins.

Psychotherapist | Author | Family Law Mediator | Yoga Mentor

Katina Pallaras

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​© Katina Pallaras 2019. All rights reserved.

© Katina Pallaras 2019. All rights reserved.