A Time to Let Go
Autumn is here in New England, and mother nature seems to be asking us to take a step back from our busy lives to appreciate her beauty. And the interesting thing is that the magnificent trees are getting ready to drop their colorful leaves as they prepare to let go of what is no longer serving them. They drop their leaves so they can survive the coming months, only to grow new leaves come spring.
How do they know it is time? What is it that helps nature know when to grow and when to let go? Wouldn’t life be so much easier if we (humans) knew this? Many of us tend to cling to what we want even when it is clearly time to let go.
We do this with old stories we tell ourselves (and others), with old habits, beliefs and identities, even old clothes that no longer fit. Often times, if we could just let go of one little thing that we no longer need, we find that we create space. And rather than rushing to fill that space, we have an opportunity to enjoy the unknown for awhile.
But why is nature so willing to let go when we are so desperate to cling and hang on?
This brings to mind the yoga principle Aparigraha (non-hoarding). See, the yogis knew these things thousands of years ago, this isn’t new information. Some of us are just catching up with this ancient wisdom tradition. Some of us are realizing that we can’t outsmart mother nature. The more we try the further we get from our own true nature.
Aparigraha is one of the Yamas or moral disciplines, guidelines for managing our relationships outside of ourself. Aparigraha teaches us to practice non-greed and non-attachment. You see this in Buddhism as well as other Eastern wisdom traditions. This principle encourages us to take only what is needed and to let it go when it no longer serves us.
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Yamas are five moral disciplines
Ahimsa- active practice of loving kindness (do no harm)
Satya- active effort to speak truth
Asteya- active awareness of taking only what is clearly and freely given
Brahmacharya- appropriate use of energy, intimacy with divine intent
Aparigraha- active effort of non-possessiveness, non-greed, and non-attachment.
When we start to walk the yoga path, on and off the mat, one of the ways we can practice Aparigraha is by simply noticing when we hold our breath. This act of awareness brings the ability to consciously inhale when we need oxygen and prana to flow in, and the ability to consciously exhale toxins and carbon dioxide (which mother nature needs to survive!). It may sound silly to think that we practice breathing or that we hoard our breath, but have you ever notice how you breathe? Does breath move slow and steady all the time? Or are there times when you unconsciously pinch off the flow and cling to your breath?
When we practice Aparigraha, we learn that we don’t always need another pair of shoes or another piece of the latest technology to be or feel complete. There may actually be someone out that that does need that thing we want to hoard.
This simple act of awareness may awaken something in you, it may help you remember that the invisible intelligence out there that lets the trees know when it is time to let go of their leaves, is the same invisible intelligence that flows inside of you. It grows fingernails, digests food, and sheds dead skin cells without your intervention. The more we become aware of this natural phenomenon moving around and through us, the more we become in tune with the rhythms of our own true nature.
With this awareness, we may find it easier to Let Go and make space.
With much love and gratitude,
Melanie
