Does Life have a Direction?

Navigating Uncertainty, Embracing Change.

The twists and turns, the ups and downs of life, it’s certainly a rollercoaster. I don’t know about you but I’ve had plenty of good and bad experiences on rollercoasters, just as in life.

Riding a rollercoaster is an exhilarating mix of anticipation, thrill, adrenaline-fuelled excitement, a whirlwind of emotions. Your stomach flips, a weightless sensation surging through your body as the wind rushes past, roaring in your ears, your cheeks flushed. Your hands grip the safety bar, or fly into the air, while your mind teeters between sheer terror and pure joy. Twists, loops, and sharp turns jolt you in every direction, your body surrendering to the ride’s wild, unpredictable rhythm. Laughter, screams, and gasps blend together, a soundtrack of thrill and exhilaration.

As the ride slows down, relief and triumph settle in, mingled with an undeniable craving to do just one more ride!

Just as the rollercoaster teaches us, we can start again, over and over. With every ending there is an opportunity for a new beginning to happen, to move into a different direction, and to surrender to the wild ride of life and its unpredictability.

My path has always been fast paced, the universe is constantly bringing things into my orbit and it has always results in me moving into lots of different directions. I accept this, it’s exciting and exhilarating as it brings colourful rich new experiences, but at the same time it can also be exhausting. The doing, achieving, moving on, the sad goodbyes, hustling, the reinvention, pushing forward.

I used to think moving into lots of different directions would get me to where I wanted to be in life quicker, but often I forgot about enjoying the journey. A recent realisation has been, that when I start forcing things to happen in a certain direction, instead of aligning with what is meant for me, I am actually operating from a place of lack, frustration and burn out.

When I surrender to the twists, loops and sharp turns of life I become more energetically aligned and things are way more joyful. I am actively practising this idea of allowing and viewing myself as a massive, radiant magnet that draws things in. So, for me it’s about responding and not searching (hustling). Responding to opportunities to create new things and chances in order to have another exhilarating ride (a new beginning). It’s certainly a different feeling to forcing things to happen. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!

I am discovering that forward motion into a new beginning is actually stability, and when I dive deeper the sobering truth for me is that I have got something out of holding on to old patterns. Perhaps it is a sense of control, safety, or of reassurance (to accept the loss of perceived control and increased vulnerability).

But just like the rollercoaster once you are strapped in you do lose the sense of control. Instead it’s about accepting the temporary discomfort of moving into something new, and knowing that you are capable, adaptable and ready for it. Everything I have learnt up until this moment will serve me well for the next moments of my ride through life, and if not then I can lean into courage as I step into the unknown.

The beauty isn’t in having the perfect plan, it’s in trusting that no experience is wasted and that every pivot leads you somewhere meant for you.

Each day holds new beginnings with endless new directions to explore.

Which way will life lead you today?

The time we spend on our yoga mats can give us so much more than just doing the asana’s it can give us precious moments into understanding ourselves and what is meaningful in life for you. Be curious, kind and in awe of your inner teacher.

From a yogic perspective, practicing the sun salutation (also known as Surya Namaskar in Sanskrit सूर्यनमस्कार) at the start of the day is a way to symbolically greet the sun, a source of life-giving energy, and to cultivate gratitude for the new day by aligning yourself with its positive power. A deeper understanding of your place in the grand scheme of life, essentially setting a mindful intention for the day ahead while connecting with nature and your inner self.

Surya Namaskar literally translates to "salute to the sun"

Practicing the sun salutation (particularly in the mornings) can help you wake up your body and mind, boost your energy, improve your digestion and circulation. It can also give you precious ‘me time’ to practice awareness and focus. The sequence of poses in a sun salutation are designed to be fluid and coordinated, and gives you a great opportunity to check in with how you are feeling on any given day.

My invitation for you is when you next move through your sun salutation sequence to take some time to pay attention to the directions your body is moving through space. The highs, the lows, how your body twists (rotations) and turns. Try slowing down to sense each movement as a different direction and to notice without judgement how that feels in your body. Notice the right, the left, front, the back of your body, how each joint moves etc. Even notice how it feels when you are upside down in downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). Notice where you feel resistance and notice where you feel there is more flow.

If you feel resistance, take a moment to be curious and ask why that is. What is your body communicating to you in this moment?

If you can physically see the sun or feel its warmth as you move through your practice that can be really beautiful. If not then a powerful visualisation with your imagination can connect you with the sun’s energy (I have attached a photo of the morning sun above as a guide).

Allow the golden light from the sun to pour into your body as you move in different directions.

Strap yourself in (just like in the rollercoaster) and lose a sense of control (the repetitive movements of the sun salutation can induce a meditative state).

Connect to the divine energy of the sun as a way to help you to feel more energised and at ease. Awaken your internal energy and promote a sense of inner peace and vitality for the day ahead. And then with that feeling ask yourself as you move through the sun salutation sequence. . .

Which direction will life lead me today? How will I show up in order to energetically align with opportunities in a way to feel more joyful even when those ‘chances’ may be new to me?

Tell me, what did you discover about yourself today? I’d love to know. Stay curious, stay present my friend.

Enjoy your precious ‘me time’

❤️ Namaste Tracey Xx

Please feel free to share You Are Not Alone with loved ones and friends. I trust whoever needs to read my musings will find them as a source of inspiration and hope. They are all written from my heart and offer the opportunity to dive deeper into truth, authenticity and trust.

image by David Fenner

Moving Inward - Exercises designed to take with you onto your yoga mat or alternatively next time you go for a walk alone in nature. I hope the audio version helps with this ❤️

My Moving Inward invitation is a sweet, sweet friendly reminder to spend some precious ‘me time’ as often as possible. To take inspiration from my essays when you’re next on your mat and devote time to turning your gaze inwards, in order to cultivate a beautiful conscious conversation with your body, mind & emotions. As a way to connect with your spirit and heart song. Through this process we get to be who we really are, we get to practice listening and loving who we really are.