I used to think and live by the idea that consistency is key. Even when completing my yoga teacher training, It still resonated very much with the explored definition of yoga, “to commit to all of our actions with consistency and excellence in all that we do.”
Consistency is key and my love for it most likely grew when I was in a corporate beast, when I was expected to comply with the practice and word garbage of money making businesses and teams. Not teams of love, compassion and abundance, or teams of creativity and freedom.
I have simultaneously had a battle with being rigid and strict in my own values and behaviours. To be consistent in all that I do. Drinking or not drinking, being vegan, practicing yoga, not eating gluten, partying. However as I’ve continued to be met with confusing and internal frustration with all these areas of my life, never wanting to disappoint but equally wanting to enjoy the journey. It brings me back to to 2 points. The first is what is my definition of consistency and 2 is it really the key?
Only yesterday I did my second intension setting workshop with my darling sister, she led us to finding and navigating our values. A long list of values that we had to then choose those just jumped out to us. Consistency wasn’t even on the list, what does that say about its importance in our authentic souls journey and human experience? Excellence however was, and as this called out to me, I also found myself drawing a little star next to it, as I had transitioned from this value.
No longer was excellence something that I wanted to apply into all my external actions to be consistent in all that I did, but more so to have excellence in knowing my own truth. A truth which is constantly growing, evolving and flowing through this journey, because that is life. We are on this planet to age, grow and learn. So if consistency is key, how are we opening ourselves up to newness to be able to learn and grow? Equally how can we expect to apply the idea of consistency to all of our external endeavours when we ourselves are always changing and evolving? Therefore the things we seek, the actions we make, the thoughts we have are constantly evolving. The point here is not to be consistent in the things that we do, but to be consistent in WHO WE ARE.
Consistent in our constantly ability to grow and adapt. Consistent in our fluidity and transformation. Consistent in embracing the new and opening up for freedom.
This is something that I have battled for some time, a confusion of being too rigid to one point of view, however to be left feeling foolish on the other side if my view were to change. Would it be better to sit on the fence, or never say anything at all. But then is that never truly having an identity. I think what I’m learning is that it’s totally OK to grow, evolve, adapt and shift your views and perspectives as long as you are being consistent with yourself in every moment and thought. Striving for excellence in knowing yourself. Understanding that the idea of “the self” is forever flowing and expanding from all of your life experiences up until every singular moment. All of our past experiences shaping who we are today, and tailoring how we perceive and translate out into the world.
Yesterday in Nina’s same workshop, she opened up space for us to release some of our values. This doesn’t make us a person worth any less, a person who has limited values, instead it recognises that we are able to free ourselves, even of the “good” that might not be serving us. To free yourself of this constant need and desire to “perfect” “excel” “be loyal” “be kind”. All of which, as values that are applied every day to every situation, can sometimes actually be the ones that hold us back from our own truth, authenticity and happiness.
The definition of yoga might be to commit to all our actions with excellence and consistency, but the definition of life is to learn, adapt and grow. Together, I can only feel that it’s a gentle reminder not to be consistent in excellence in all that we do, yet to know ourselves well enough to be true and beautiful in who we are in every moment.
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