My mind seems to be pre-occupied with the subject of letting go lately.
I find my mind wonders on to the subject so much in a day that perhaps it’s something that needs to be talked about more.
I was reading yesterday a perspective on Psychiatry that really rang true for me.
The lady was talking about how modern day solutions to peoples problems are not really solutions.
Attending sessions with a psychiatrist can often cause the client to become more focused on the problem. In fact the practitioner spends the entire session reinforcing the fact the there IS a problem and that the client must WORK on it.
In the end the client is so sure that they have problems that the time and money spent there will only ever escalate.
Yesterday I spoke a little about the modern day medical approach; a pill here and there will certainly brush your problems under the carpet.
Letting go; easier said than done but as you can see it is that, or live a life tied to what you perceive to be YOUR problems and what is WRONG with you OR keep turning your back on them altogether until they get so big they burst into a big mess!
So, why learn to let go?
Well, I suppose there is that big old fear… ‘who will I be without my past, and my problems?’
The answer as far as I have found, is you will be you!
You will no longer be who your ego thinks you are…
‘i am my job, i am my experiences, i am my pain, my problems…’
Simply… ‘I AM’
A good way for me to look at this is in a yoga practice.
The Hamstrings!
It has been said that the hamstrings are FULL of your past experiences. Inability to open up the hamstrings can often be an inability to let go of what was or what has been.
Perhaps your body is literally full of these little blockages. All over the place, holding you back.
In your physical yoga practice, this holding back, stops you from experiencing the deeper levels of your physical body.
Any one who has been to a yoga class is sure to have heard the teacher say;
“let go, relax, allow the body to open up…etc” (some times easier said than done!)
And so it is true, the same can be seen in every day life.
Imagine the times you’ve really wanted to do something but your mind (ego mind) has not allowed you to…
Even subconsciously the mind stops us in our tracks as a past experience pops up as a reason not to do something.
Blame, guilt, anger, paranoia, lack if trust.
There are so many emotions that tie us to where we were.
Rather than WHERE WE ARE NOW!
Letting go of things will liberate you.
The impossible becomes possible!
So how do we learn to let go?
Some find this so easy… some don’t.
Whoever you are, it makes no difference, the process is the same.
You have to learn to forgive.
First forgive the person, the thing or maybe yourself and replace all the blame and guilt and anger with…
*LOVE*
I know, some people hate that word!
And in which case this can be really tough… imagine your biggest enemy ever, place it/them in front of you and try to love them…?
Not easy huh?!
Well there is a way it just takes a willingness to try.
First of all we have to want to move on.
Second we have to start to see the situation as an experience and not a reality that is occurring all of the time.
It is what it is, or it was what it WAS.
And then there’s that forgiveness and love part…
See, now we’re already putting it in the past!
Now we have to find a way to see that this thing/person has been holding us back and if continue to let it we will never be able to expand into a brighter place, a better future, more experiences, health, happiness and peace.
The process may involve a few tears and you might need a HUG! (After all, your ego will be grieving it’s loss!)
But it’s worth it in the end.
So today, when you remember to do so….
INHALE “LET…”
EXHALE “GO!”
I hope that helps, be it getting into a posture you’ve never been able to do or maybe it’s bigger than that…
Whatever you let go of today, I hope it’s fun on the other side!
BIG love!
S xxx
Wee Yogi 