Improvising and experimenting

Improvising and experimenting

I profess that I am both an optimist and an idealist. So, up until not very long ago, I used to assume that everyone who appeared successful in my eyes had figured out answers to at least some of the mysteries of life. By observing and listening more attentively to people and by removing my assumptions, it became apparent that each person is conducting an experiment with life. For instance, even when you have a recipe for a dish that you like and that you have made many times, every time you make it, despite following the recipe to a T, life in its ongoing newness and uniqueness brings variations, large or small, that influence how the recipe turns out. Of course, that is the essence of life: ongoing newness ever transforming.

All of us are currently conducting an experiment with our lives. As Samuel Butler said, “Life is like playing a violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.” Some people are successful in dealing with the uncertainty of not really knowing how the experiment will turn out, while others become good at pretending they have it all figured out. In truth, since nobody has ever been in this moment before, every single person in the world is constantly improvising. And you? Are you improvising? Or are you absolutely clear about your life and how to live it?

A helpful concept in navigating your individual life experiment is a framework, a system that provides a sound structure for your experiment.

Yogic framework

The yogic framework simply asks you to act consciously and deliberately. It is rather similar to the scientific method; these are helpful guidelines for applying it:

• Keep your mind open. Choose not to assume or predict.
• Notice your biases and keep them in check.
• Use your direct experience to establish what is.
• Be aware that internal activities such as narrating, describing, and complaining are not what is; they are only your reactions to what is.
• Let go of anything that moves you away from presence.

This week I invite you to contemplate what are the implications of recognizing that everyone is improvising.
How does the yogic framework compare to the guidelines you are currently following in your current life experiment?

Also, I hope you will consider whether the guidelines in this yogic framework may be useful to you: Open mind, regulate prejudices, use your direct experience, notice that your reactions are not what is, discard what keeps you from the presence. Can these guidelines enhance your current framework?

If you prefer, you may listen to the podcast:

This is an excerpt from the book Unravel the thread: Applying the ancient wisdom of yoga to live a happy life

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