Check out this blog post by Yoga District teacher Mike Hazzard on how yoga is teaching him to let go.
If yoga is “99% practice and 1% theory,” my yoga 1% is on the mat and my 99% interacting with others at home, work, in traffic, etc.
Progress “on the mat” for me comes through letting go, rather than through control. When I can let go, I can breathe, allowing my body to settle into a posture — my variation today. When I slip in to control, my breath gets erratic and my body clenches. Here, injuries happen; progress reverses. When I can get out of my own way and let things evolve, I almost always get a better result on and off the mat.
On November 23, I’ll be leading a “Yoga for Letting Go” workshop. We’ll do some asana with the intention of letting go of compulsions and habits, rather than trying to “control” them. Hopefully students will come away with ideas for setting intentions on the mat, and strategies for learning to let go of the things that block us from being ourselves and having the best possible relationships with others.
Goals are helpful, and through practice, goals may evolve or come to fruition over time. We make no demands, however. “All is coming” through practice. How it comes will be revealed over time.
Lots of om to you. I hope to see you November 23, or otherwise around town. Be receptive to the grace within you, and be kind; everyone you meet is going through a difficult struggle.
