Let's be honest - times are really tough right now. We're all facing challenges that can feel overwhelming.
As someone who studies and teaches Yemima's teachings, I keep hearing people say (and sometimes I catch myself thinking): "Yeah, sure, Yemima's ideas are great when life is normal and I'm just dealing with regular stress. But right now? When everything feels like it's falling apart? I don't think these teachings work anymore." Trust me, I get it.
There's a lot to unpack there, but I want to share one insight that might help us navigate these difficult times. You know that feeling when everything around you (and inside you) feels like it's shrinking, contracting, becoming smaller? It's really hard to think about growth and expansion in those moments.
Let me introduce you to one of Yemima's core concepts called Diyuk. While some translate it as "precision," that doesn't quite capture it. Think of Diyuk as taking one small step toward your true self - like choosing to take three deep breaths when you're stressed instead of immediately reaching for your phone. It's about asking yourself, "What's one tiny thing I can do right now that would be good for me?" Diyuk works with its partner concept, relative (Diyuk Yachasi). It's like having a GPS that considers your current energy levels, your environment, and your understanding of yourself to help you navigate toward your true self.
What happens when life throws you a major curveball? Suddenly, those healthy habits you've built just don't fit anymore. Maybe you used to love your morning runs, but now you can barely drag yourself out of bed. Your go-to healthy meal prep routine feels impossible when you're stressed and exhausted. Your patience, which you've worked so hard to develop, seems to vanish in an instant. Sleep becomes elusive. You might try to muscle through with pure willpower, but let's face it - that rarely works long-term. Before you know it, you're thinking, "Maybe Yemima’s teachings aren’t relevant to me. I'm clearly not resilient enough."
Here's a different way to look at it. It's not that the system is failing - it's more like trying to dance salsa to a heavy metal song. The music has changed, so naturally, your moves need to change too. Being good to yourself still matters, but what that looks like might be different now. Maybe instead of that 5-mile run, success today looks like a 10-minute walk around the block. Maybe instead of your usual elaborate healthy dinner, it's adding a handful of baby carrots to your takeout order. Maybe it's giving yourself permission to sleep an extra hour because you were tossing and turning all night. This isn't about throwing all your healthy habits out the window and deciding that living on chocolate alone is suddenly healthy - you still know what's good for you. It's about finding pockets of goodness wherever they're available right now.
I can hear you saying, "But I worked so hard to build these healthy habits, and now I've gone backwards!" Here's the thing - learning to adapt Diyuk to different situations in your life isn't going backwards; it's like learning to dance in different styles. Insisting on doing everything exactly the same way no matter what's happening in your life can be harmful. If you're sick, you need rest. If you're stronger, you can do more. Being flexible with yourself isn't weakness - as Yemima says, the strength of the mind is in its flexibility.
When you're in tune with where you actually are (not where you think you should be), that's when real growth happens. You might find yourself naturally returning to those habits you loved, or maybe you'll discover new ones that work even better for you.
But what if you're feeling awful right now? What then?
Don't beat yourself up about feeling bad. Having difficult feelings doesn't mean you're doing something wrong, or that you're broken, or that these teachings don't apply to you. It just means that what worked yesterday might not work today because either you or your situation has changed - and that's okay. Be gentle with yourself right now and stay open to discovering new ways forward. Give yourself time - or as Yemima suggested, learn to be a patient companion to your own growth journey.
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