 As we move into this last part of the year, we might start to think about the intentions we want to set for ourselves throughout Autumn and Winter. Part of the intention-setting process is to consider what it is we might want to release or “let go” of.
This act of releasing or letting go, is about clearing space to open ourselves up to engage and connect with our inner wisdom. From here, we can access a deeper connection to who we truly are, and what we really want for ourselves and our lives. Ultimately, by being able to release, we can begin living from a place of truth that is all our own and not someone else’s. You will often hear Yoga teachers (myself included) use the phrase “let go” a lot throughout your yoga class. But do you know what it really means? Perhaps it causes some confusion, or even irritation towards your Yoga teacher for asking you to do something that feels so difficult, or that you’re just not ready for right now. It can feel as if it diminishes or simplifies what you might be experiencing or feeling at the moment. But it is not intended in that way at all. The instruction to “let go” is designed to encourage you to feel a sense of release - be that physically, mentally or emotionally. To help you towards a sensation of shedding and ridding yourself of those thoughts and feelings that are no longer serving you. This might not mean to ‘relax’, but rather to completely surrender to your emotions or thoughts in full. Being 100% present with what you’re experiencing, and diving deeply into yourself so that you can understand what is happening for you, and what you need to do to release it. For example, I had a moment a few days ago where a comment from a stranger about the size of my baby bump just tipped me over the edge. I felt so heavy with uncomfortable emotions that I’ve been working to heal for some time, that I just needed to release how I was feeling. I posted a long, personal story on Instagram, and got so many replies of love and understanding, and also admiration for speaking out, that it made me feel so much lighter and enabled me to let go of the stickiness of my negative feelings. I think we have all experienced that feeling of heaviness at one time or another, and often we step into a yoga class carrying that sensation with us. Our mind might be racing with thoughts about finances, work, relationships or something else that is just weighing us down. So we find ourselves simply going through the motions while distracted, stressed and unfocused. But we also know that Yoga is so much more than the physical practice, and that we are not just the skin, bones, senses and thoughts we’ve stepped onto our mats with. The whole point of yoga is to unite us with one-another, and with a “higher-consciousness” or “the Devine”. Understanding this can provide us with the realisation that our physical bodies and our thoughts do not define us - we can therefore more easily release the things that we cling to and believe to be true, when in actual fact they are not. When we are able to realise that we are part of something bigger, we are no longer held back by limiting beliefs, repetitive thoughts (about work, to-do lists, what we look like, etc.) or even desires for our practice to look a certain way. We can simply just “let go” and allow ourselves and our practice to unfold in the way they’re supposed to. Releasing and letting go are not something that will happen instantly. Part of releasing is the process we take to get there. Think about a challenging pose you suddenly managed to crack - when you finally “get there” it is often because you’ve learned to see the exploration aspect of asana as equally valuable to the goal itself. You’ve released the need to “achieve”, and surrendered to the process. In this way, I know full well that releasing and letting go is easier said than done. Being able to surrender to the process means becoming vulnerable, and allowing yourself to be open, raw and unedited. Context and timing of course matter - for example, when you get caught up in a heated “discussion” with a loved one, you may say things you don’t really mean, but when you approach things in a calm manner and sit down and have a conversation, it can be much easier to release what you need to without causing hurt to the other person. So be mindful, stay calm, and remember that there’s no rush when it comes to releasing “stuff”. Take one thing at a time, remembering that being in a state of physical relaxation will bring you closer to a clearer mind, and it is from this place that we can start to realise what it is we need to let go of. Namaste xxx
1 Comment
 Do you remember that scene from Friends where Chandler freaks out about marrying Monica and runs away? Ross eventually finds him and helps him overcome his fears of marriage by breaking everything down into “baby steps”. He guides Chandler by getting him to do the easy things, like showering, getting dressed, etc., taking it all step-by-step, so that getting married doesn’t feel so overwhelming.
There aren’t many things in life that cannot be likened to an episode of Friends! This episode shows us how breaking things down, taking one thing at a time, can be a wonderful way of dealing with any anxiety we might feel over something that seems scary in our life. When thinking about setting our intentions for the day, week, month or year, often we only focus on the bigger picture. We all tend to project into the future, which can cause a sense of worry about situations that haven’t even happened yet. This takes up a lot of time and energy in our lives. But if we know one thing for certain, it is that we cannot control absolutely every single thing when it comes to making plans and desiring certain outcomes. What we can do though, is compartmentalise things. We can take things slowly and break the big things down into little, more manageable things. Our Yoga practice helps us to do this by giving us an opportunity to break our poses and sequences down steadily, getting us to focus on our breath every step of the way, and notice the subtle changes in ourselves both during and after the pose or sequence. Often we are so focused on the final pose itself, or the outcome of our practice, that we forget to enjoy the moment when we’re in it. We forget about the component parts that make up the pose or sequence, often missing that feeling of freedom in our bodies as we move through the transitions between them. What then happens is we tend to create more tension in areas of the body where we don’t need or want it! So when you’re next on your mat, ask yourself these questions: Where am I holding on unnecessarily? What am I feeling physically in this pose? Should I be feeling tension in my neck, face and jaw, when I’m actually opening the hip? How is this pose making me feel emotionally? How did it feel to move through that transition? Smooth and easy, or hard and clunky? Am I using my breath to help guide me through this? When confronted with something that seems daunting or overwhelming in your life, this practice can come in really useful. Our yoga practice can help us to see the bigger picture for what it really is - a whole, made up of smaller parts. We can ask ourselves what it is we need to focus our energy on in that given moment, rather than using it all up thinking about the final outcome. Namaste Yogi xxx  Last week we practised yoga for “settling in”. The intention was to give us a bit of time and space to settle back into our Yoga practice after taking a long break over the Summer Holidays.
Getting back into the swing of things after taking an extended period of time away from our usual routine can feel a little difficult. But if we take it slowly and be mindful about not overdoing things too quickly, before we know it our usual routine has resumed, and we’re back to normality again (sometimes without even noticing)! Settling in during our yoga practice - assessing the landscape of our physical and subtle bodies, taking some time to watch our breath and notice our thoughts, and figuring out what it is we need in that given moment - provides us with a fantastic opportunity to learn how to slow down and settle in gently to whatever situation might be presenting to us in our lives off the Yoga mat too. It could simply be adjusting to the change in the weather again, starting a new routine, or perhaps it’s even a major life transition - whatever we might need to settle into, our yoga will provide us with the tools to learn how to be with what is, and take our time to navigate the waters again. I mentioned in our sessions last week that as we enter into the new academic year, it feels as if we are not only settling back into our previous routines, but we are also given a chance to pause and reflect upon what’s already been and gone since the start of the year. We can then begin to settle into a new phase of our lives by perhaps making any necessary changes to our routines, schedules and ways of living/being. September brings with it a new season, and this helps us to begin to release what is no longer serving us and figure out what we want for the last part of the year. This is where our intention setting comes in particularly useful. We set intentions for our Yoga practice every week so that we can find a purpose behind what we do on our mats - and this makes our practice so much more than just being about the physical shapes we create with our bodies. This week, I would love for you to think about your own intentions as we head towards the last part of the year. Consider the questions: what is it that I no longer need in my life? What can I let go of to create space to invite something else in? What am I experiencing right now and how can I sit with those feelings? What can I do to make things easier for myself? I know that more often than not, what brings us to Yoga is largely based on a physical intention - we want to increase our flexibility, feel fitter and healthier, more toned, help a bad back, etc. Or perhaps we want to feel more relaxed, reduce stress and anxiety and work on our mental well-being. These are all fantastic intentions to set for your Yoga practice. But they are actually the icing on the cake, and just an added bonus of what our Yoga should be doing for us! For me, the practice of “Yoga” goes much deeper than this. Can you start to make it a deeper experience for yourself too? Set your intentions based on what it is you TRULY need right now. Here are some ideas for you: “I intend to treat myself with more kindness and compassion” “I intend to spend more time in nature” “I intend to let go of what I no longer need” “I intend to focus on more of what I truly need” “I intend to live by my own beliefs and values, and not those of others” “I intend to use my yoga practice as a means to get to know myself better” “I intend to be of more service to others”... And so the list goes on! If you are struggling with setting intentions, give me a shout and we’ll work through this together because I would really love for you to start getting the most out of your yoga practice! Namaste xxx |
Archives
December 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed
