“Even though I know you’re going to make me give up chocolate and ice cream, I’m very excited about learning more about Ayurveda principles!” I recently found these words in my inbox. More than just giving me a good giggle, they brought me back to the first treasure Ayurveda has given me:
The key to teaching through resistance.
I was reminded of my very own cycle of seeking inspiration from this common sense wisdom but resisting the very thing that could sustain it. As genuinely enthusiastic as I was about learning, I was also my first and most stubborn client to date. Before bringing home a single Ayurvedic routine, I was out the door. A pattern so challenging that it lasted longer and was even more intense than the great undertaking of earning my title of Clinical Ayurveda Specialist.
As the Sufi saying goes:
“The sacrifice we resist the most is the sacrifice of our own suffering.”
Although I sensed that at the top of that great mountain awaited less attachment to suffering, my resistance was inflamed by the limiting idea that reaching the top was a prerequisite for ease. Yet, something was required before I could find myself taking the steps to greater freedom. I had to catch the sneaky “all or nothing” mindset insisting that there were only two options for my climb:
- I must do it all at once, now.
- Once a magic wand clears the way for this more holistic way of living, I’ll get started.
Catching such untruths for what they were, doing this as a practice, allowed new space to open up. In turn, Ayurveda’s generous principles previously sitting at the surface (my intellect) began to move deeper into a different kind of intelligence. One that acknowledges the reality of my life as the starting point for any worth while transformation. This gentle unfolding, combined with all the accessed knowledge, became the ultimate environment for success.
This privilege of having earned the skill set to lend a hand on the climb up the mountain of greater ease by meeting others where they are and gradually helping them make more conscious choices is a treasure beyond measure. It is the key to breaking through resistance!
My response to the endearing email shared at the beginning? Although there is nothing I will make you give up in our work together, what you’ll find is something even yummier than your chocolate and ice cream. The discovery that what no longer serves you, whatever it may be, is meant to naturally lose its hold.
For those looking to do this work on your own, here’s a small token I urge you to bring home: You know those softer whispers encouraging you to choose one thing at this moment that matches your loving common sense? Lean into them next time you catch yourself distracted by fighting your desires.
To find greater ease on your walk towards your mountain peak, embrace the gentle guidance of your inner knowing. Notice how making room for this voice naturally releases the grip of what no longer serves you, paving the way for a more complete and fulfilling journey.
Keep on!
Sister Sherpa,
