Last Sunday I had just returned home from my annual winter Restorative Yoga retreat and I was dragging my feet about unloading all of the things from the car. I happened upon a book about geckos that my kids had left out.
Just to be clear, I don’t care at all about geckos but some times procrastination will lead you to the most interesting things. Sure enough, I found myself down the proverbial gecko hole. (See what I did just there? gecko hole = rabbit hole. Tee hee.)
It turns out that geckos have an incredibly high amount of adhesive power in their feet. When they decide to stop, they will stick. It takes a crazy amount of force to loosen them.
However, when the gecko decides it’s time, just one small movement in the new direction, and the gecko is immediately detached.
Does that sound like yoga to you, too?
One of the most fundamental calls in yoga practice is for to use focus and determination to make connections in authentic ways.
And then when that thing you’ve connected with is no longer serving you, it’s time move in a new direction.
Simple. If only it were that easy.
Now that January is over, our new year’s resolutions and intentions might be feeling a bit stale, maybe even discarded altogether. Old habits and patterns, the way we have adhered ourselves, are hard things to release. This shows up in all kinds of ways – physically, mentally, emotionally.
It’s easy to get down when you realize you slipped back into some old way of being that isn’t really that helpful. But here’s where the practice of yoga in all of it’s forms comes to our aid.
Continue to adhere quickly and strongly to the things that are useful. Hold fast to the things the support and uplift you. Be immovable. And when those things have run their course, let go and move in a new direction.
There are a lot of sayings attributed to the Buddha that may or may not be accurately quoted. Whether or not the Buddha actually said this almost doesn’t matter to me because the sentiment is exactly right.
“In the end, only three things matter: how much you love, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of the things not meant for you.”
If you need some help letting go and moving in a new direction, meet me on the mat this month.
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