Learning to live in the flow

Kamala Chambers Seattle Conscious Living Examiner


Think of your life as a river. What does it mean to be "in the flow?" How do you know when you are on the right track, making decisions that are in alignment with your purpose? It is the nature of a river to find the path of least resistance. The river doesn't sit around and becomes a couch potato, because then it would just be stagnant water.

When you are "in the flow," your actions follow an effortless path... a path where opportunity opens like those automatic doors at the supermarket. When we spend our time fighting the current, we invite struggle into our lives, creating lives of... struggle. Struggle can seem normal, when it's what you're used to, but we often struggle precisely when we go against ourselves. Most of us are not taught how to listen to our own inner wisdom and guidance. Instead, we are taught how to obey others, and follow rules.

How do we know when we are following inner guidance, and not just old programming? Inner wisdom speaks clearly. When I am making decisions, I go with what follows the "flow." I know a decision is right for me when it is easy. When it feels as though someone has just opened a door and said... "come on in!" These effortless openings let me know I am on the right track, at the right time. When I am met with resistance, I usually take it as a pretty good indicator that, perhaps, it's not the best choice for me. I feel like I have learned, and benefitted from, becoming more aware of when my inner resistance is keeping me from being in the flow of life.

I recently returned from a 10-day Vipassana Meditation Course. Every time I heard about it (friends had referred to it frequently) I resisted it. "I don't meditate. That's not really for me. I enjoy things like dance and movement as a way to find inner peace... not sitting still!" I resisted it completely. Then, after the third person told me about this course, I listened (I always pay attention to things when they come in threes.) The point is, the more I learned about the course, the less resistance there was for me to go... until, finally, my resistance was "broken down" so much that it suddenly became clear to me that the course was in alignment with my life right now. I was not necessarily looking forward to it, but everything that was happening in my life at that time made it easy for me to just go.

And I am so thankful that I did. It was the most beneficial 10-day period of my life. The results have been amazing, and I found something that I've been looking for, for a LONG time.

On your journey, you may experience inner resistances such as I did. I encourage you to look for, and pay attention to, the times in your life when circumstances flow together effortlessly. By doing so, I believe you will be able to find the path of least resistance and surf the flow!