Most everyone wants to lead a fulfilling life. What constitutes fulfilling is subjective but the universal desire to be remembered remains.
If you’ve ever had to do one of those eulogy exercises where you write down what you want people to say about you at your funeral you may have spent some time thinking about the choices you’ve made in your life and the many paths you’ve traveled.
Rather than just think about what you could do to change the world or catalyze impact, consciously creating an inspired life is about taking action now so that inspired living becomes your present reality.
The etymology of inspiration
When you look at the history of the word inspiring, it’s pretty amazing how the use of this word aligns with the evolution of yoga.
Around the 14th century, inspiring had a sacred meaning.
Merriam-Webster offers this definition:
“A divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation”
In other words, those who were inspired were inspired by God, or however you wish to define something greater than you. Being inspired meant having a direct connection to the divine.
In the 16th century, inspiration became more medical. Doctors used the term inspire to refer to inhalation or the “drawing in” of air to the lungs and expire to refer to exhalation.
This technical definition beautifully encompasses how yoga literally inspires us through the use of breath practices.
As I always say in yoga class: without the breath, yoga is just stretching! Adding a conscious breathing pattern to movement exercises brings in more oxygen to the blood, which has physiological benefits, but also shifts our mind and emotions. This is one of the reasons why at the end of a yoga class you feel so good.
In fact, Merriam-Webster’s modern definition of inspiration that’s been in use since the 19th century is:
“the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions”
So, really, inspiration is hard to come by without the breath! Inspiration literally means inhale AND the breath has the ability to shift our emotions.
Consciously create inspiration in your daily life
The first step to consciously create inspiration in your own life is to breathe 🙂
It’s hard to feel inspired when we’re stressed out and worried about the past or future.
The next step is to know what causes you to be inspired. What motivates you to take action?
What activities feel sacred to you?
What does it mean to live a full life in your own words?
And how do you most enjoy expressing your creativity?
If an inspired life is a full life of creative, sacred action how can you start taking this kind of action today?
Living an inspired life doesn’t mean you have to radically transform how or where you’re living. In fact, you may already be living inspired and you don’t even know it!
Small changes and a shift in perspective may be all you need to uncover inspiration from your day-to-day existence.
More of an auditory/visual learner? Check out this brief video discussion on inspired living!
And if you haven’t had the chance to download The Inspired Life Checklist, make sure you do. The checklist includes more questions for helping you find inspiration in your daily life!
Namaste!
