The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Hello friends,

It's been some time since my last post. Life has been quite eventful, filled with deep reflection, grief over the world's state, a career change, moving houses, and nearly fully dedicating myself to teaching yoga.

All of this happened at once. Did I realize it was overwhelming? Did I flawlessly apply everything I learned from yoga philosophy?

The honest answer is NO. I still experienced burnout and felt overwhelmed at times. I forgot some of my practices, even with post-it notes reminding me around the new house. I occasionally got upset and frustrated, feeling like everything happening was personal and happening to me, not for me.

But then I noticed a shift, a small glimmer of hope. For the first time, I admitted I had too much on my plate, and like a precious caterpillar, I entered a phase of transformation. I stepped away from the well-trodden path, from the secure career that comforted my ego but never truly made me happy.

I decided to trust the spark and soulful interest that teaching ignited in me. And I stepped into that liminal space between what I used to be and what I will be, an unstructured goo.

And for the first time, I wrote on one of my wisdom post-its: JUST ONE STEP AT A TIME. WHAT YOU DID TODAY IS ENOUGH. NO MORE DOING.

This helped me immensely. Not having to do it all at once by myself is not a perspective I am very fluent in. I started asking for help, set strong boundaries on what I have energy for and what I don't, and retreated into a cocoon made of people and four-legged beings that do not need me to be or do anything. They just cherish me even when I am at my lowest.

Whatever phase of life you are in, you might be taking the less-traveled path. You might be listening for the first time to your body and mind, which are screaming to be heard. If this is you, I just want to tell you that what you are doing is so hard, and you DESERVE your soft cocoon. It can be made of whoever and whatever you choose. And your soft cocoon doesn't need to include other beings. It just needs to be a place inside and outside where you are received as you are. Where all your energy can go into emerging from the goo with your new wings.

My sweet cocoon

I learned not to be scared of retreating, or taking time to respond and make decisions. And to even withdraw from interactions I do not feel in alignment with.

This makes me think about Brahmacharya, the fourth of the Yamas that I brought to class this week as an inspiration. Brahmacharya is the universal value of moderation and using energy consciously so that we preserve our life energy to grow. The sutra 2.38 in Patanjali Yoga Sutras says: "Devoted to living life with moderation, our life energy becomes boundless".

There is a sweet spot between Effort and Ease. The middle way. Once I was amidst all the changes, my pendulum was in effort and action mode for too long. And this took all the life energy out of me, obliterating the space for spiritual and more elevated practices.

Now that I feel more space, I am committing myself to the Yamas of Brahmacharya. To check in for every new situation, work, connection. Where is the pendulum at? How can I reach the middle way?

I hope this reflection might assist you. Remember, you CAN take a step back when life feels overwhelming; you're not broken, and you deserve your cocoon. At any moment and in any situation, you can pause and reflect: Where am I in this situation? Am I putting in too much effort and feeling burnt out? Is this too easy, causing me to become disengaged? In your own perfect way, you can find a balance.

It took me becoming extremely ill after the move to take a few days of COMPLETE rest, during which I lost my voice and couldn't move. And yes, I can improve. I could have stopped earlier, but what can I say? I am still on my learning journey like everyone else, just growing and transforming.

To all of you, my dear future butterflies, I hope you are well and taking good care of yourselves. I look forward to meeting you soon.

Federica