"Somewhere inside, we hear a voice. It leads us in the direction of the person we wish to become. But it is up to us whether or not to follow." -Pat Tillman.

As part of my yoga journey, I have re-introduced the practice of working with a deck of Oracle cards. I shuffle the deck, spread the cards, and choose one for a daily reading. Currently, I am working with The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit series by Kim Krans. I drew the Eagle card with its resounding message for a second time. Krans says, "The Eagle pushes us to be our best and brightest selves and stops at nothing to see us shine. . . To bring into balance, step into the unknown" (2022, p. 177).

Stepping into the unknown or the uncomfortable can be unnerving. Pat Tillman's quote offers sage advice on how to overcome this. He speaks to the inner voice, the gut feeling we tend to ignore in favor of following the outside voices. This person we wish to become references what Eastern philosophy calls Dharma. Your duty, purpose, or mission in this lifetime.

To fulfill our purpose, we need to journey past the mind stuff that tells us "we can't or shouldn't" and lean into the intuition (gut feeling) that can, as Tillman eloquently voices, "lead us in the direction of the person we wish to become." What do you dream of accomplishing in this lifetime? It could be a bucket list item. What is it going to take to get you there? In my humble opinion, once we get past the "can't" and step into the unknown, we will experience greater clarity. Accessing our intuition comes with practice, and, taken in small steps, will lead us to the grand design. Here is an example of how I leaned into a "yes" and took action.

I always tell my students that I will never ask them to do a pose that I am unwilling or unable to do myself. This pose is the headstand—no way will I try this in my lifetime. My mind says, "No," so I accept this narrative as valid. Earlier this week, I attended a different-themed yoga class for the first time. At the end of the practice, the instructor offered us the opportunity to do an inversion pose (when the head is below the heart). She provided modifications should we choose not to attempt the peak pose (none other than - the headstand). With support from a wall, the headstand places the student on the crown of their head with the legs up the wall.

For reasons I cannot explain on this day, my calm mind allowed me to access, listen to, and trust my inner voice. Before I knew it, I settled into the preparatory pose, and the legs followed up the wall—I was doing something I vowed never to try. In this article, please understand that I am not suggesting you try a headstand to fulfill your life's purpose. I offer this anecdote as one definitive moment in my journey where leaning in helped me overcome.

Defining your purpose may take a lifetime, and many obstacles can stand in your path - a part of the human experience. I leave you with an old Garth Brooks song titled The River, which speaks to the storms of life we encounter while pursuing our passions or dreams. Be like the eagle who dares to soar into the unknown with each flight it takes. Until next time -

Namaste,

Tim

References

Krans, K. (2022). The Wild Unknown Pocket Animal Spirit Guidebook. New York: Harper Collins Publishing.

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