June 14, 2015
Have you ever had a really bad week? One where everything seems to be going wrong? I had one last week that knocked me off my feet. Plumbing problems, landlord problems, tenant problems, family challenges, business problems and a minor car accident to top it all off. It started to become a bit funny every time something went wrong.
We all have days/weeks/years like this. What I keep noticing is that each event, each occurrence, good or bad, gives me an opportunity to grow. While not always pleasant nor easy, I can see how each of those events help me to let go of my attachments a little more each time. It’s fairly easy for me to let go of material attachments. However, it is very hard for me to let go of personal attachments and relationships even if it is important for me to do so.
We all have those things that we have a hard time living without, even if we know it is for the best. When we have a hard time letting go of something, that is a good sign that we are attached to it – and perhaps not in the cleanest way.
I think of it like dessert that is being offered to me. If I can make a choice about whether or not to eat the dessert out of a clear place with no attachment to it, then I will know what to do. I’m fine if I eat it and find if I don’t. But, if I NEED to have that dessert and won’t be satisfied until I eat it, then it is most likely that I have an addiction or unhealthy need to obtain the object of my ego’s desire.
We all struggle with our attachments, but Yoga gives us an opportunity to be free. Free from unhealthy attachments and free from being pushed and pulled by the current of life. Yoga teaches us how to achieve more inner peace and to overcome the ego so that we can appreciate life and let go when there is loss.
It is a long, slow road to this place, but well worth the effort. I can’t say that I am there yet, but I know I am nowhere near where I began.
How has Yoga changed your life so far? I’d love to hear from you. Has it been one step at a time or one giant leap? How do you notice the gifts of Yoga in your daily life? Have you just stretched your hamstrings or have you found a way to be more flexible and less rigid in the world?