Do we really know what will happen in the future?
Do we really have much, if any, control over outcomes?
How do we manage during times that are as turbulent as these?
Such perennial questions are just that: always appropriate. However, they are infinitely more prominent when uncertainty stares us in the face.
And yet, with passing years we have seen that seasons and weather patterns are not as reliable, even as forecasting tools have become more accurate. Wildlife migration patterns shift, and some species cease to be. Seemingly intractable rules of conduct wear down, diplomacy is not a given, solid relationships deteriorate, a dollar may no longer have value. History tells us that civilizations rise and fall. However, we find it challenging to accept this truth about our own context.
Yogis have long preached about the enduring nature of change and the mutability, or even illusion, of control. We intellectually know that something as gigantic and solid as a mountain is continually changing, yet we take for granted that it will be there the next time we look. The light of day follows the dark of night on a regular basis. Stars reliably show up in expected places in the night sky. 1+1 always equals 2.
We know that concern about uncertainty is reaching a fever pitch when a financially focused news magazine like Forbes published an article in January 2025 called, “Ride The Wave Of Uncertainty: How To Stay Calm And Keep Moving Forward.” The author’s 8-point plan* for dealing with “the ambiguity effect” is at once neuroscientific, psychological, and yogic. All of that, and more, is at work in an iRest-informed yoga session.
From my perspective, yoga is very much about being with, seeing through, and allowing ourselves to be transformed amid our very human propensity to look for enduring steadiness in that which is always changing and over which we have no control.
Perhaps you will join me and some others on-line this April? Or maybe meet with me one-on-one?
*1) Mindfulness, 2) Challenge Negative Thoughts, 3) Strengthen Emotional Boundaries, 4) Build Certainty With Simple Routines, 5) Take Small, Meaningful Actions, 6) Active Listening, 7) Validate Others’ Feelings, 8) Surround Yourself With Supportive People