A big area of our lives where we get stuck is in decision making. You can think of decision making as having 4 phases.

Recognize that you have a decision to make.
Be ready to evaluate possibilities & be ready to make a decision.
Make a decision, choose a path, follow through, and stick with it.
Evaluate the consequences.

We can apply these same steps in embarking on a new health path. When we are faced with changing our habits and moving to a new healthy pattern, it is easy to get stuck in 1 of these phases. Ayurveda is all about taking the reins of your own health; it is about being aware of what is supportive and not supportive for us on our soul path and making decisions.

Phase 1:
- Stuckness could look like: FEAR, feeling like a victim (things happen to me and I just react), feeling limited or boxed in, forgetting that we are creators, not listening to our inner voice.
- Success – sense of freedom, ownership, operating as a creator, connection with true inner self
Phase 2:
- Stuckness : FEAR, saying no to every possibility because it feels too hard, being critical, being perfectionistic is such a way that no possibility exists that satisfies all of your criteria, feeling like you are not strong enough to take this on, getting caught up in the dreaming without ever moving to the next step.
- Success: Have fun with dreaming and thinking outside the box but put a limit on how long that phase will last, know that you can make the best decision possible given the information you have at hand, connection with your true inner self
Phase 3:
- Stuckness: FEAR of what will happen, indecision, being petrified of not making the right decision, stagnation
- Success: Confidence that you made the best decision possible, listening to the truth of your inner soul, a gut feeling, a curiosity of what will unfold now, being present with opportunities of growth
Phase 4:
- Stuckness: the INNER CRITIC over not appearing to have picked the right path, taking the short view and not the long view on the consequences,
- Success: Learning from consequences, take the long view on the repercussions, being present with opportunities of growth as a result of your decision, taking the lessons with you to apply to next nexus points, feeling pride over your new-found creator status

We use Ayurveda and Yoga techniques to become more closely aligned with the inner Self. We become very clear about what the next step is, and we bathe in the trust that the path ahead is lined with opportunities to bring us even closer to our true purpose in life.

By Mary Bruck – a doctoral Ayurvedic practitioner practicing Ayurveda in Boulder, CO