The first time I heard of the concept of “Easeful Living” at a yoga retreat, I thought it was an oxymoron. Life is hard by definition, right?

The concept of “Easeful Living” posits life can feel easeful and even blissful when our days are balanced and our mind is at peace. The concept is rooted in several eastern philosophical traditions:

Buddhists believe the root of all human suffering is our deep desire to cling to and control things that have a destiny beyond our control. We suffer when we cling to wanting things to be different than they are. They believe mindfulness and approaching life with nonjudgemental curiosity is the way to escape the suffering that comes from constant forcing, striving and resisting inevitabilities like change, hardship, loss, etc.

Daoists similarly have a concept of “wu wei” that literally translates to “non-doing” or “non-action,” but ultimately means “non-forcing.” The idea is that you move with the ebb and flow of life, you do not try to force things that naturally are not meant to work. This tradition advises that each individual know and respect their true nature, and seek out work and activities that are in alignment.

A mindset of “Easeful living” recognizes that we often make our own lives a lot harder than they need to be. Much of this comes from our habits or mindsets that don’t always serve us-- this is where coaching through this is so helpful.

This is one of my FAVORITE mindsets to help my coaching clients apply to their lives, so let's dive right into the HOW.

Watch the lecture below and download the workbook below to go deeper.