What most people wish each other on their birthdays is to "have an amazing time", "have fun" and to "make the most of it". Or something along those lines.
This morning I was having my Shavasana relaxation after a bit of an under-energised Ashtanga practice and I was thinking: "the best really would be to have every day as my birthday". I am being reborn every day anyways (in a different sense, but I am), so why not? Why is it only our birthday that is so special? (Mine is on the 19th November if you want to send me some cool presents tho, just saying...)
Probably because we all have our lives to deal with, and others will only reach out to us when it is the celebration of our birth, otherwise it would not be a very productive world. So we are left to remind ourselves about the importance of our existence, to "make the most of it".
This doesn't mean to get s**t-faced every day, because ya know... "it's my birthday broooo!"
But - to me - this concept simply means, appreciate every day and remind myself that in fact every day that I spend on this planet conscious, I have the wonderful opportunity to celebrate. To see the beauty in things rather than the flaws. To see the opportunities rather than the closed doors. To accept the sadness and realise that it is wonderful I can still feel, rather than resisting it.
I am a person who's most the time sitting on an emotional rollercoaster, so this kind of an acceptance and surrender does not only bring joy to my heart, but it helps me to keep myself purified from stored negative emotions, because I let them come and go - and do yoga, when every single salty sweat I dedicate to overcome those unwanted obstacles. It's just a metaphor really, but visualising things like this kind of helps...
Then I went deeper in this life changing concept - that I will one day probably have a TED talk about - and my next thought was, while getting colder and colder in Shavasana, that how much I worry. I worry about the future most the times. Will I be successful? Will my hard work pay off? Did I do the right thing yesterday and will that manifest how I want it to manifest tomorrow? Am I going to be happy? Am I going to be healthy? Am I going to be loved? Will I die alone? Will my world crush tomorrow or will I be able to maintain my balance?
And these are just a few...
But if it was my birthday, I would not worry. I would tell myself "Hey, not today! Today you deserve better!"
But don't we deserve the best from ourselves every day? I mean, at least from ourselves! Because most people will not really care to be honest, the few that loves you dearly and expresses it regularly will, and we all are lucky to have those people in our lives, but frankly, the other 99% who knows us does not give a damn. They have their own worries, it's totally understandable. Even your best friend and mum.
It was a lesson before that I knew I had to learn and I am working on for quite some time now: to keep myself happy. This morning I just got the reassurance, and maybe went into a deeper understanding what it means.
To keep on reminding myself that I am so lucky for everything that I have, and more! And that I need to celebrate that (and by that what I really mean is to bring my awareness to it every day), look at my life with the idea of celebration, for the people I know, the things I do, the food I eat. For the pain I feel, the tears I shed, the insecurities that I still carry with me.
Have you ever had the perfect birthday? No? You are not alone... Yes? How did that happen? Probably it was well-organised and you were taken care of. You created time for your loved ones and yourself, you got the cake you wanted and you even got a surprise! Can we not do that every day? Not necessarily in the exact same manifestation, but can we not organise ourselves and honour it? (From now on if I say I will stop overworking myself and finally catch up with my favourite show or finish reading that book I got a month ago, I will do it, I promise! Similarly If I decided to get up 5:30 am to go to Mysore practice, I will do it. Unless my legs have fallen off.) Can we not create a little bit more time to get in touch with our loved ones that really fill our heart up with warmth? Or just be a bit more adventurous and discover something new? (This is the surprise bit. For example I like cycling home on different routes, or walking in a different road. I may find a new restaurant, money on the floor or bump into someone I haven't seen for a while.)
Then I got really cold in Shavasana, because honest to God I did work hard in my practice, and I thought: "this idea is sick!" I need to write about it, maybe others also agree. Because at the end of the day it really doesn't require much. You don't need a 5 layer cake, booze and weeks of preparation. You just need a constant mindset that can bring less worry, more gratitude and lead you to live more content and appreciative every day.
Also now that I write this I'm thinking: "practice what you preach, Veronika!" And hopefully I will send myself more reminders in the future, especially when it's most needed. #selfcare
Have a wonderful day, and don't forget: it is your birthday! 🎁