My whole life has been a rush. By rushing, I don’t mean getting from one place to another; I am talking about an existing, perpetual state of doing.

Yes, a continuous state of doing, and as a result, a constant feeling of incompleteness. The trainings I have attended so far are too many to count—almost even I don’t remember them anymore. A continuous “effort to make things happen,” born from a sense of inadequacy. So much so that before I can digest the training I finished, I jump to another.

While discussing this topic with my dear psychologist Aslı, I found myself facing a question: “Could the reason for this hunger be always feeling unfulfilled/unripe?”

What does “feeling unfulfilled/unripe” mean, I wonder?

I think of a fruit: an unripe fruit is seen either because it was picked by a human or because natural conditions were forced, right? By natural conditions, I mean the power created by nature, such as heavy rain or storms, which is a normal situation in the flow of life. However, for a human, the definition of an unripe fruit holds many things within it.

Without allowing their natural progression, humans can listen to their emotions and consequently their minds, plucking the unripe fruit from the branch.

Just like I have done to myself on the path of life. My emotions, arising through my thoughts, and my mind can take me from a branch with unripe fruits and throw me to the ground. Being in a continuous search for something else without allowing the knowledge I gained from trainings to mature by stopping, digesting, and contemplating naturally makes me feel lacking.

So, why does stopping seem so difficult?

According to my mind, stopping means doing nothing, so by keeping myself constantly busy, I believe I am doing something in my life. However, knowing how to stop in life is the greatest virtue. Even after doing sports, the body needs to rest so that it can be ready for the next workout.

So, how will we achieve this stopping?

If you are one of those who say, “In these life conditions, running from work to home, when there is so much to do, how can I find time to stop?”, unfortunately, I cannot agree with you.

If a person desires and intends, there is nothing they cannot do. Furthermore, taking time for oneself is a sign of self-love.

The importance of waking up 10 minutes earlier every morning, applying a few minutes of breathing technique, and then spending time solely with that magnificent body of yours cannot be compared to anything else. Because that body and mind, and therefore our consciousness, are truly the only things we own in this life.

When there is no physical or mental activity, our relationship with our consciousness strengthens; that is the moment we connect with our source of inspiration.

If we try to understand the world and life only with what we see and hear—that is, with our 5 senses—we move away from reality. If you, like the old Müge, settle only for what you see and hear, I must tell you that you are far from “what is real.”

There is a saying in a book: “People are asleep, but they wake up when they die.” This is what I am trying to explain.

Truth begins to say hello to us when we go beyond the body we are in and reach the invisible. That is why it is necessary to know how to stop and create that space. Unless we stop, we get tossed around like an unripe fruit and continue our lives in a fake world.

Years ago, I attended a Yin Yoga class for the first time in my life. I would like to give a little information about this practice;

In Yin Yoga, poses are generally done on the floor and it is a very meditative practice. It has three main rules.

The first of these is: entering the pose in the easiest way without activating your muscles.

The second is remaining in the pose for a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 15 minutes, which allows you to go deeper into the pose thanks to gravity.

The last rule is remaining still in the pose without moving (this includes scratching your head or adjusting your t-shirt, etc.).

I am sure that, like the old Müge, you will ask a question like, “Okay, but what is the need for this?” Because in that first class of mine, there was no end to the curses I uttered and the complaining I did inside 🙂

I would also like to remind you of the belief I discovered over time: “there is a reason for everything,” because nothing done is without a cause or a consequence.

Let’s come to the reasons for this Yin practice… First, let’s examine it physically.

Our “connective tissues”—the structures that hold, bind, and support our body and tissues together, filling the spaces between cells, binding cells to each other, protecting them against infections, and performing repairs in case of damage—are always working under tension when we are active.

Let me remind you, what happens to something that works continuously without stopping? It depletes and collapses!

Resting and relaxing these connective tissues can only happen when we do not activate the muscles. Think about modern humans who are constantly running from place to place… Even though your connective tissues cry out to you, saying “stop a little,” “just stay like that,” you and I don’t even hear this voice.

When examined mentally;

Remaining motionless in a pose that challenges you a bit—by this challenge, I mean extending the duration, not pain—is a very effective method for a mind that resembles a monkey jumping from one branch to another. In these poses that stretch and relax the fascia network, which is the deep connective tissue in your body, you explore extending your inhalation and exhalation duration with the help of your respiratory system. As you slowly release every breath you take, you notice that you stretch a little more with ease.

The application of these poses forcibly brings your mind, which is either in the past or in the future, to that present moment.

So, what happens when the mind is in the moment?

Right at that moment, you can truly be the real Müge, Ayşe, Ahmet… and you can become aware of what those thoughts swirling in your head actually are.

Is this necessary? Yes, the path going toward who you truly are begins right here.

I am sure there are those among you who say, what is the need for all this?

Does searching for the truth and getting to know oneself do good to everyone? I don’t really think so, but I leave the answer to this question to you…

However, everyone has a course in life. Some of us go horizontally and are content with their state (I have nothing to say to this either). But some of us want to add a vertical path to their horizontal course. I am one of those people. In my opinion, the meaning of life gains dimension and meaning by discovering the existence of the vertical path and dedicating one’s way to it.

I love Sinan Canan’s phrase, “Hold on a second, man!” As he said, Newton didn’t discover gravity while working, but rather while sitting idly under an apple tree.

Come on, you STOP too, and spend a little time alone with your magnificent and unique existence.

Believe me, you won’t regret it!

Müge Konuralp | Wellbeing Coach & Yoga Instructor