(Deep breath. A yawn and a sigh. And I will continue.)
Lisa Waugh left a great comment on my "Centering" post:
This quote made me think about what I have heard so many times, "We don't accept things until we are ready for them."Admittedly, I wasn't ready for class today. I debated not going. I just couldn't stay home though and think of what I might have missed. In any case, what I ended up thinking about as I began class, was about loss. LOSS. If we "let go" of certain things that serve us no purpose, does that also mean that mourning the loss of those things also serves no purpose? Perhaps the mourning is the beginning of letting go? I really hope so!
Something that Michael said in class today might be useful (like a lot of things he says). What do you put in place of the things you let go? This is a good question. I think it's harder to let go of something if you think you'll be hollow without it.
Yes, I think there must be something to "take the place" of that which we let go. I tend to think that it might be love, or grace. Accepting the goodness of what is, loving the present, extending that love and grace both towards yourself and from yourself.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me think of something one of my teachers once told me about mantras in meditation. She said, "Your mind is always going to be occupied with something. You might as well give it something (positive) to be occupied with." I think there is something in that. We let go of that which once occupied our attention. Perhaps we do so simply by giving our attention to something else?
Your comments about mourning actually inspired the "taking time" class (the one in which we stayed in asanas for minutes at a time). When you mentioned mourning, it reminded me that things take time. I think that sometimes when we talk about "Opening to Grace" or "Letting Go," the ease of the language seems to imply that these things happen with similar speed and ease. And sometimes this is the case, a kind of sudden and spontaneous release, but often these are processes that unfold over time. Perhaps part of the process is honoring that they take time.
Just some further food for thought!
-M