KayaYogini

My holiday started yesterday. A long awaited break I would say. This semester has been tough. There was a lot of stress, court case stuff, then a migraine attack which I didn’t understand what was, because the symptoms were more stroke-like. Turns out I got vestibular migraine which gave numbness to half of my face. I couldn’t study for three weeks. And then there were exams. This semester, I was forced to slow down. To take breaks. To learn how to recharge and regulate. 

In my last blog post, I wrote about how to actually regulate the nervous system. It is not all about calming down. It is more about how to handle stress and build capacity within the body. Building an energy storage so that you have the capacity, when something stressful happens, to handle it. Today I’ll write more about how to build that storage. 

Being able to receive is a skill. In the spiritual community, there is great emphasis on receiving, but not so much on what you actually do to receive. I myself have been told that “you just gotta receive”, with no further explanation. I’m just laughing at that right now, because it’s such a weird thing to say to someone. How can you receive when nothing is being offered? It feels like grasping into thin air.

To receive means to take in. What It really is, is a conscious choice to focus on something good and to actually feel it. You take it into your body so to speak. You take in through your senses, look at something nice and take it in through your eyes; smell something nice and just enjoy that scent; feel something nice on your skin, like soft fabric and just take a moment to enjoy that. That is literally how simple it is. So why is this so important? It is what builds up that capacity within you. It makes you stronger. Think of it like this: whenever you are taking in something pleasurable, you are filling up your body with energy or filling up your cup, metaphorically speaking, so that when something unpleasant happens, you have energy to deal with it.

There’s another very famous saying that goes like this: “everything comes from within” and also: “as within so without”. There is a certain truth to this, but in my opinion it is not a truth to live by. Ultimately “everything is within” just means that the outer is a reflection of the inner. It does not mean that the outer is not there to be utilized. And this is where the misunderstanding often lies. Some people think that because “everything comes from within”, that means that being as independent as possible is a “higher” or more spiritual way to live. I think this is a harmful way of thinking. It strips a person of their resources, limits their life and makes it harder to meet their needs. Also, it makes life less magical. In my opinion, whatever is in your life, is yours to resource. If you don’t, aren’t you indirectly telling yourself that what is within, is not good enough? If it is true that “as within so without”, then it’s also true the other way around. I think it’s a limiting way to live life. You are on earth for a reason, you are meant to be physical and do physical things. You are meant to live your life to the fullest, take in from your surroundings, make the best of your life and practice receiving. It makes you a stronger person. 

I feel like the universe always gives us the lessons we need in order to develop ourselves. But it also gives us the resources and support to handle those situations. I had a friend who helped me a lot and taught me much of what I’m now sharing with you guys. We all have to walk our own paths and go through the hard stuff, but we are not alone and we do have resources around us that help us. 

This vacation I am gonna recharge my batteries. I’m gonna notice the things around me that make my life beautiful and be grateful for my friends and family who bring value to my life.
Thank you so much for reading my blog <3.