Seriously, what is the point of following a passion when the world feels like this? It’s a lot, right?! I am writing this because I’ve had this exact thought.
It’s me (Emma) writing, one half of The Merrymaker Sisters, Carla is busy in newborn land. I told Carla not to think about topics like this right now, even though it’s hard not to. I told her to look after family and herself right now. And that is a very great thing we can all do, look after our families. But when we can, we could (should?!) extend that care. A happy, safe, healthy, community/world… only makes your future better, and for your children, nieces, nephews, kids of friends, the generations after.
For me… I’ve always been a thinker, a contemplator. Known as a positive person to many, but also a sensitive person, a big feelings kinda girl (that is scary to some!).
Are you a thinker, or a focus-on-what-you-can-impact kind of person. There is no wrong or right.
Lately my mind has rotated a lot around… climate change, wars, potential wars, genocides (free Palestine), poverty rising, healthcare accessibility, tech billionaires doing tech billionaire things… shall I go on? It’s not necessary, is it. You get it.
Let’s not stick our heads in the sand
Anyway, we used to be the kind of girls who’d say “don’t watch the news, it’s too negative”.
Now, I guess you could call us women, all grown up, and we’ve realised that’s a pretty self-absorbed way of being.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying watch the news 24/7. I’m not even saying watch mainstream news, or ALL the news topics. But I do believe that surely, if we have more awareness of what’s going on… and if we worked together, better as a collective… we could make the world a bit better by the time we leave it? Maybe?
Anyway, this is a long way of saying… if you’re feeling anxious about the world, let’s not stick our heads in the sand about it. And maybe this action, will then go on to help us feel better about it. I always find problems are easier to deal with when we talk about them, when we shine lights on them. Do you agree?
Harder to do this if you’re a thinker but you’re surrounded by people who say things like “you’re so negative”.
No friend… you’re just living in Lala Land!
My mind…
what’s the point of running our business, following our goals, should we even dream, when thousands of kids are struggling/starving/getting blown up…
Instead of ignoring my thoughts, I share them now.
And perhaps you’ll resonate? Feel free to email me and share this article with others who might like it.
When the world feels this BIG and the problems so ‘out of our hands’, is it right to spend so much time on our passions? What’s the point of following a passion when the world feels like THIS?
But then I think more… about my past experiences especially, I know when life feels crazy, dark, scary… that is in fact the time to lean into our passions.
Because you know what I know for sure won’t help the world… a depressed, highly anxious version of me. And also, I don’t want to lose myself in the sadness and darkness of the world. We can know the dark, be amongst it… and also know the light, ahhh, perhaps even be the light.
Art won’t save the world, but in a way it does
It’s like art. Art won’t save the world… but in a way it does. Because when you see a piece of art you connect with, you feel something. It shifts you. It creates beauty, or it helps you shine a light in the dark, or let go of shame, it connects the mind and heart. It does SOMETHING grand.
And let’s talk about the artist making the art. Damiano (my husband) is a musician… if he doesn’t play his guitar for a few days I notice. It’s a life-force for him… it’s essential for his mental health, it gets him grounded, focused, calm (even if he is playing a full on rock song). Same goes for his Sister, who is a painter and sculptor, she needs to make art like she needs to breathe (dramatic but true).
Perhaps, this is what following our passion does. Gives us this sense of a greater purpose, it gives us life, it also helps us return to ourselves (important in this world, where it’s super easy to “leave ourselves” and disconnect with everything).
But for many of us… we don’t follow our passions, or even give ourselves the chance to find them, for many reasons (time, financial, low self-belief, low self worth, the list goes one!).
I looked up the meaning for the word “passion”… it is more than a fleeting excitement, it is the willingness to suffer, sacrifice and endure hardships for what you love. It represents a profound, driving commitment to a person, cause, or purpose that overrides the inevitable obstacles you will face.
The amount of times I have heard Damiano try to get Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac on the guitar this week, and complain about his sore hand… this definition makes sense! That is suffering and dedication in action, a few days of practising and he got it. OK, next song to learn or create.
I could say the same with running our business. Yes, it’s a business, but it began from a passion. Yes it brings so much excitement and many opportunities, a huge sense of purpose… but also it certainly brings suffering, sacrifice and hardships.
Same goes for doing a deep dive into Yoga.
Because a deep dive into Yoga is not all candles and blissful Savasana (although, yes, there is that too). It asks you to sit with the uncomfortable stuff, in your body and in your mind. It asks you to keep showing up on days you’d rather not. It asks you to look at the parts of yourself you’ve been avoiding… and that is not always a nice feeling. The suffering, the sacrifice, the enduring… it’s all there on the mat, in the smallest and most ordinary way.
Which is exactly why it works. It helps us get to know ourselves better, gets us grounded and present, so we can show up better, so we can be the calm in the stress (this skill is extremely useful, perhaps in today’s world, more than ever.)
Yoga is not all self care. It’s not just a method to help you get more flexible so you can do perfect poses on Instagram.
Yoga is not just the Asana, that is the exercise and postures… it’s so much more!
Spending an hour on the mat in a Yoga flow is not ‘checking out of the world’. Perhaps it’s a way to help us navigate the world.
This is why signing up to a Yoga Teacher Training (especially our training if I say so myself!)… is not a self-absorbed decision.
I know I should have many of the lessons ingrained in my mind and heart after all the years of Yoga and running Yoga Teacher Trainings… but I think I am a better person when we run our Teacher Trainings. Because of the lessons, the readings… they are front of mind. No matter how many times I hear things like….
To preserve openness of heart and calmness of mind, nurture these attitudes:
Kindness to those who are happy
Compassion for those who are less fortunate
Honour for those who embody noble qualities
Equanimity to those whose actions oppose your values
―
Side thought. These days I must admit I am struggling with equanimity to those who oppose my values (not all values… but I am sure you can imagine the ones I am thinking of).
So yes… if you do sign up to a Yoga Teacher Training you will have moments where you wonder what on earth am I doing this for. That’s the passion part, that’s the willingness to suffer, sacrifice and endure for something you love. Because… you’ll be stepping out of your comfort zone, you’re learning, you’re a beginner! Being a beginner is hard (and also amazing!)!
But what comes back to you once you do your training… isn’t just for you.
You come back to your family more patient and compassionate. You come back to your friends with more presence. You come back to the hard conversations, the scary end of world feeling news headlines, the days that feel too much… with an actual set of tools instead of just dread and that feeling of doom.
You’ve seen the quote… you can’t pour from an empty cup, sure that is true. But it’s more than that… you can’t help anybody from a nervous system that’s been running on over drive for years. Getting grounded isn’t the opposite of caring about the world. It might be the thing that lets you keep caring about the world without falling apart.
The certificate is the least interesting thing you walk away with
And here’s the thing about a Yoga Teacher Training. The certificate is the least interesting thing you walk away with.
Yes, you finish Yoga Alliance approved. Yes, you can teach anywhere in the world if you want to. But that’s not what the people who do it talk about afterwards.
After MerryBody Teacher Trainings, our graduates are usually talking about…
- Finally understanding their own body, and appreciating it, even accepting and loving it.
- How to use Yoga as a tool to help you and others get through the ups and downs of life.
- How their nervous system works, and how to settle it.
- How the ‘Yoga tools’ don’t stay on the mat. They turn up in your parenting, your relationships, the way you handle a really hard day.
Many go on to teach… but many also don’t. Regardless, almost all of them tell us it was one of the best things they ever did.
If you’re interested in joining out next intake, begins on 23 August, see the full 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training here. It’s all online, meaning, yes there will be time sacrifices… but you can really make it work with your life and your schedule.
If you have questions, get in touch!
Always merrymaking,
Emma (and Carla)
