A friend recently asked if it was a hard transition for me to move away from the city, stop full time work and live in semi-retirement.
How could it be hard; this is meant to be living The Dream, isn’t it? Peace and quiet, a beautiful natural setting, unstructured time….
However, for me to have gone from full-time employment and the cultural stimulation of Sydney to rural life and fewer income-generating opportunities has indeed involved some gears grinding.
I have no regrets, though, except for the geographic distance from friends. The best thing about being where I am at my stage in life is that it’s been a chance to find my own rhythm.
Having to wake up to an alarm, rushing to appointments, being stuck in traffic, eating on the fly are things of the past. It’s a great privilege to have time to do things at an organic pace, and experiencing how that contributes to good health and serenity.
I always said I would make time to study yoga philosophy and so here I am each night spending time with Patanjali, through the interpretations of his several commentators. In my busy past, I would have thought of this as an indulgence. In reality, it is feeding my soul.

Samadhi parinama

In the transformation to contemplation, distraction vanishes and the mind becomes focused.*
*The Essence of Yoga – Reflections on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Bernard Bouanchaud.