What is connection and how do we foster more of it in our lives? What is it about the magic of connection that we so often fail to understand? If we really want to connect with ourselves, we have to open to relationships. Socialization is more than leisure. The beauty of connection is that it is a wellspring of joy, exchange, and a humbling reminder that life, isn’t only about us. Through connecting, we grow and learn to expand our current capabilities of love. Community is the gift of society, but only if we can wade through the muck and actually connect with all the love and possibility that exists.
How Connections Work
Most of us are in contact with other people regularly. And yet, how often do you really connect? I’m not talking about acquaintances or business contacts here, I’m talking about people that really resonate with you. In many self-help, spiritual or therapy centered circles, active participation in groups is an essential part of individual evolution. It fosters the strengthening of supportive communities and encourages feedback amongst members. Feedback is what an individual leaves a social setting with (their takeaway). It can be a thought, a feeling or information, but in whatever form it takes, it is vitally important. Feedback, whether positive or negative, wields the incredible ability to provide the input that we need to honestly self-evaluate.
Understand Your Mind
You can’t correct something that you are unaware of. The human brain is a master of systems and processes. Over time, our habits and tendencies hardwire our thought, emotional, and behavioral patterns. When the subconscious determines that a particular way of being is the most efficient, it drops all the neural pathways. Basically, the brain says, “we can forget this.” Therefore, we naturally get set onto “”autopilot”. However, that changes when something disrupts the efficiency what we’re doing.
How to Use Feedback
Feedback is THE tool for self-regulation. Whether we consciously want to change or accept something new or not, feedback is a balancing mechanism. It wakes our autopilot systems up and suggests edits and modifications. Without connection and feedback, we will go on forever, operating naturally in our environment without any checks and balances. During prolonged periods of extreme isolation, human beings suffer in a myriad of ways. Feedback corrects processes that would otherwise go unnoticed. The truth is, we need to be challenged sometimes. There are pitfalls to our preference to maintain the comfy status quo that we often fall into. Since connection encourages feedback, we can let connections work their magic through nourishing bonds that feedback and give us more than we can give ourselves.
Life Teaches Us About Connection Everyday
Yoga is a practice that fosters a greater connection to both oneself and others. Through yoga, we learn to tune in to our bodies and minds. Here, we listen to our inner wisdom. In this, we can cultivate compassion and empathy for ourselves and those around us. This deeper connection helps us to build stronger relationships, to communicate more effectively, and to live more fully in the present moment. In my own life, yoga has been an invaluable tool for fostering connection and building community, both on and off the mat. By practicing yoga, I have learned to be more present and engaged in my relationships, to cultivate greater self-awareness and self-love, and to connect more deeply with the world around me.
The Wisdom of The Masters
The Dalai Lama has spoken extensively about the importance of connection and interdependence. He believes that all living beings are interconnected and that recognizing this interconnectedness is crucial for promoting compassion, empathy, and harmony in the world.
In his book “The Art of Happiness,” the Dalai Lama writes, “Interdependence is a fundamental law of nature. Even tiny insects survive by mutual cooperation based on innate recognition of their interconnectedness. It is because our own human existence is so dependent on the help of others that our need for love lies at the very foundation of our existence.”
The Dalai Lama also emphasizes the importance of cultivating connection with others through compassion and empathy. He encourages people to practice compassion in their daily lives, both towards those they know and towards strangers, as a way to build stronger connections and create a more harmonious world.
Embrace The Journey
As yogis, we strive to cultivate self-awareness and inner peace, but sometimes life reminds us that it’s not always about us. Like when we step on a Lego block in the middle of the night, or when our pets demand attention during our yoga practice. Or how about when we’re doing a peaceful meditation and a car alarm goes off outside? It’s as if the universe is telling us, “Hey, remember me? It’s not all about your chakras and your inner peace, there’s a whole world out here!” So let’s remember to laugh at life’s little reminders and stay grounded in the present moment, even when it’s not exactly what we had in mind for our yoga practice. Choose to have a great day, and watch out for those Legos!
“As a yogi, I recognize that the path to true happiness and fulfillment lies not in isolation, but in connection. Connection to myself and connection to others. Through my yoga practice, I have learned to cultivate self-awareness and self-love, and to honor my own unique journey. But I have also learned that we are all interconnected, and that true happiness comes from supporting and uplifting those around us. Overall, I need connection to self and others because it is through these connections that I am able to live a life of purpose, meaning, and joy.”
Through the joys of connection, everyone benefits. Reflect daily and share yourself with others.
Namaste.