I‘m currently taking a yoga “retreat,†in which I’m substituting my usual strength and cardio training with 21 days of yoga. That’s right, nothing but yoga for 21 days straight. I’m giving my body a break from all the high intensity work I usually do, while I improve my strength, flexibility, balance and mindfulness.
The other day, my yoga practice ended with a savasana. Translated, savasana means “corpse pose.†A bit morbid-sounding perhaps. It represents the death of the old and opening up to the new. It is a pose in which you lie on your back on the mat, with your arms and legs spread out. You just lay there and relax, surrendering…melting into the ground.
Savasana is sometimes characterized as one of the most challenging poses in yoga. If you’re like me, this may surprise you. When I think of all the crazy, bendy poses I try in yoga – poses that require my full concentration and balance, poses that make my legs burn, twitch and shake – how could simply relaxing on the ground challenge me?
Savasana is hard because it requires us to let go.
Have you ever struggled to let something go, even when you knew it would be good for you?
Why Is Letting Go So Hard?
Savasana provides us with an opportunity to gain awareness of our bodies, minds and hearts.
- Savasana allows us to notice our bodies – the way we hold onto tension in the tiniest of places…how we hold onto that tension all day long, without even realizing it.
- Savasana allows us to notice our minds – the way our brains chatter incessantly…how we obsessively look for answers.
- Savasana allows us to notice our hearts – the way our emotions are bottled up inside…how we often shove them aside so we can focus on “getting stuff done.â€
It’s hard to let go when we’re so used to holding on. When we constantly push ourselves to get it all done…to control more…to achieve more. And letting go is even harder for a recovering overachiever/control freak like me! My natural tendency is to think savasana is a waste of time because I’m not pushing myself hard enough. But as I reflect on it, I think I need savasana more than any other pose!
Thankfully, letting go is a practice, like yoga. It’s not a state at which you arrive one day. Rather, it is something we can always strive for. And, like yoga, or any other endeavor – the more you practice, the better you’ll get.
Savasana provides a wonderful opportunity to notice ourselves without judgement. It beckons us to let it all go…to let go of the old and open ourselves up to the new.
Can you see how beautiful and necessary letting go can be? Can you see what a gift it is?
The Gift of Surrender
When we surrender, we open ourselves up to a world beyond our own ideas and perspectives. We open ourselves up to more authentic connections with other people.
How would it feel to let go of one of the burdens you’re carrying? Perhaps one of these burdens feels heavy right now?
- A need to know everything
- Wanting to be right
- Solving every problem
- An old argument
- Striving to be the person you think you’re supposed to be
- Expecting other people to live by your standards
What do you think might happen if you were able to let go of just one of these burdens? What might you learn? How might you change? What new possibilities may appear?
Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.†– Eckhart Tolle
When you let go of what you think you know…you learn something even better. When you let go of who you think you need to be…you open yourself up to becoming the person you want to be.
What might you need to let go of today?
All my best,
