If you asked your twenty year old self what you would be doing or where you would be in five, ten, twenty, thirty, or more years, would it match your life’s reality now? When I was in my early twenties I was passionate about making the world a better place. I also had grandiose ideas of working my way up the proverbial ladder and making a lot of money (so I could afford all the traveling I wanted to do). Over the years, my life took me in a lot of different directions and eventually lead me to the yoga teacher and life coach I am today. If someone would have told me I would own a yoga studio some day in the future, I wouldn’t have believed them. That was not a part of my plan or something I particularly desired. At that time, I didn’t even practice yoga. However, as my life unfolded, I allowed new passions and paths to come in. As I learned to embrace the evolution of who I was becoming and the letting go of who I was, it felt true and right. As our souls purpose evolves, or as we begin to recognize that we might not be living in harmony with it, we are faced with making some difficult decisions. Do you stay with the known and comfortable, or do you venture into the unknown and uncomfortable? Can you listen to your hearts calling and take steps to move in the direction of it? What do you need to release or let go of (thoughts, beliefs, behaviors) in order to live in alignment with your inner desires? How can you embrace the journey and trust the path without needing to know exactly how it will unfold? Leaving the comforts of the known is scary. Entering into the unknown is not any easy path and takes bravery and persistence. However, staying within the confines of what is comfortable, even when your heart is pulling you in another direction will only cause disharmony within your body, mind, and spirit. I recently talked with someone who is making a major career transition and is bravely leaving what he has know for over 30 years to dive head first into something new. His heart and mind have been guiding him in a new direction for awhile and the urge is getting so strong he finally decided it was time to take the plunge. Even with the inner knowing that it’s time, it is challenging to shed the layers of what has defined us and get to the core of who we are. It’s terrifying to let go of that external persona that we’ve built; whether genuine or not, and try on something new. There is safety in the known and uncertainty in the unknown. Sometimes it helps to remind ourselves that our outer shell isn’t the real us. It is the us that we allow the world to see on a daily basis. However, our true self is on the inside and if we are lucky we know how lovable and worthy that self is. We know that the life we live and choices we make don’t change our self worth. Putting our trust and faith into something greater than ourselves can be both comforting and nerve racking. In yoga we refer to this as Ishvara Praniyadahna, which can be translated as “surrendering to something greater than ourselves’. The Yoga Sutras teach us that letting go of our rigidity and trusting our higher self will lead us in the direction and path we are meant to be on. How do you begin to listen to your inner guidance and trust that you have the answers within you? Are you ready to surrender and begin to trust your path?