Becoming more by letting go
When I first began my yoga practice, I fell in love with an instructor named Charleen. Every Sunday morning, I took her class exclusively, which was always set to amazing music and included a beautiful dharma talk. The sense of community and positive energy in the room was palpable.
One day, she stressed the importance of diversifying your practice by exposing yourself to different teachers and styles. At the time, I didn’t really understand why this mattered; I had found someone whose teaching style resonated with me, so I didn’t get the point of exploring other options.
Almost 9 years into my practice, I have taken many different styles of yoga with all kinds of instructors. I’ve practiced everything from Yin to Bikram to Y7, with instructors who speak Sanskrit, those who make me work up a sweat and never dive into the spiritual side of yoga, those who incorporate sound bowl healing, and everything in between. From each of these classes, I have walked away learning something new about my body, my preferences, my behaviors, and my deeper sense of self.
Last week, I took an outdoor class at a local studio. It was just myself and one other person, so the instructor asked us what we wanted to work on. The other student mentioned that his hips were very tight. When we began the practice, I noticed that he seemed a bit stiff and newer to yoga.
At one point in the class, the instructor cued a side plank. Instinctually, as I rolled onto one arm and onto the sides of my feet, I lifted my opposite arm over my ear and my opposite leg in the air. But the instructor quickly asked me to lower my leg, instead offering specific cues to adjust the position of my shoulder joint. Without realizing it, I had assumed that her words did not apply to me because I was the more advanced practitioner in the class. While this pose might have looked less impressive, I immediately felt a deeper abdominal connection simply by fine-tuning the positioning of my body.
Sometimes in life, we wind up on autopilot and without even realizing it. We decide what works for us and stick with it. We do the same things we’ve always done. Instead of making space to observe and listen, we react and do it our way. When we do this, we stop growing. Our beliefs and perceptions become limiting, which hinders our connections to those around us.
By seeking out new experiences, we expand our opportunities to grow. And, everything we experience in life serves a purpose. It is our responsibility to pay attention — to figure out what that purpose is and to use it to guide us forward.
So, how can we let go of our own limiting patterns and open ourselves up to new possibilities? Like a spinning tire stuck in one position, the more we repeat the same behaviors, thoughts, and actions, the deeper the rut becomes. The only way out is to try something new.
Opportunities for Reflection
Where do you try too hard?
Where can you let go?
What are you avoiding?
Where do you hold back?
Class Playlist
Love + light,
Lex
