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june 2016yogajournal.comCLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: THAIS RAMOS VARELA/STOCKSY; LUMINA/STOCKSY; STUDIO FIRMA/STOCKSY; PAUL SCHLEMMER/STOCKSY
which is great. But it’s also important to
carve out time for quiet reflection, whether
that’s sitting down to meditate every morn-
ing or simply having a cup of tea each night
in relative silence. “Collaborative thinking
and community support are great ways to
help fuel your creativity and move you in a
positive direction, but in order to implement
changes, you need to get quiet so you can
process that input and determine your next
best steps,” says Christine Whelan, PhD,
a professor at the School of Human Ecology
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.Make small changes. You don’t have to
spend a lot of money on a new habit or do a
complete life 18o—say, by quitting your job
or moving across the country—in order to
tap into new thoughts and ideas. “Start by
trying something as innocuous as driving
a different route to work or mixing up yourusual breakfast menu,” says Tsaousides.
Yes, even such seemingly minor changes
can help train your brain to be open to—
and get ready for—bigger shifts. It’s like
building up your tolerance to change so that
when something big comes along, you can
handle it with ease, he says.Get comfy with discomfort. Part of the
work of shedding old patterns involves
embracing the fact that you might feel awk-
ward or even slightly miserable in your new,
unfamiliar world. The best way to practice
this acceptance is to repeatedly expose
yourself to things that don’t feel easy. For
example, you might volunteer to go first
when presenting ideas at a work meeting
even though you hate public speaking or fear
that your coworkers will judge you. Or you
could say “yes” when your best friend invites
you to her favorite Saturday-morning danceclass instead of going to your usual yoga
class. When you feel uncomfortable or a little
out of your element, remind yourself that
your efforts are ultimately broadening your
current comfort zone, outside of which new
ideas await.Repack your baggage. “Life is a journey,
and the stuff you needed in your bag to get
to where you are now may not be the stuff
you need on the journey going forward,”
says Whelan. That means it’s time to dump
it all out and really assess what’s there:
material possessions, your friends, your
emotions, your job, and so on. Then, ask
yourself: “What’s serving me and what’s
not?” And: “What’s helping me break free of
my negative samskaras and strengthen the
positive ones?” Once you’ve assessed every-
thing in front of you, you’ll be in a better
position to decide what stays and what goes.