Finding Refuge in the Unknown

“Breaks occur when circumstances break us.” — Dages Juvelier Keates

That moment we become comfortable, content even, the universe finds a way to challenge us to think, feel, and experience life differently. Our nervous system hangs onto the familiar—sometimes biting us in the ass because it tends to latch onto negativity above ease. I’ve stepped into this new year without a map; no expectations, no desired outcomes. For the first new year I am welcoming the unknown—the very place that most of us fear most.

In the practice of yoga asana, the window of lingering pose offers the opportunity to decide whether we’ll move past our mental tendency of checking out, or instead stick with it when we really want to bail. That space between—is exactly where transformation unfolds. It is when we stick with it, that the very real layers of existence expose themselves. From what we see to what we don’t see, and everything in-between.

Looking ahead, I encourage you to welcome the challenge of being suspended amidst the unknown. Immerse yourself in the vast darkness that only exists from the experience of light. How will you trust in what scares you the most? How will you find refuge within, and trust the fear that we have of the space between?