To Hold or Not to Hold
In the language of Yoga, it is not uncommon to hear the teacher suggest
that you hold the posture. What does that mean? What, in fact, is holding?
It is resistance to gravity and it is the tension that arises from this
resistance. So often, it seems, it is difficult to let go of this holding
resistance. I wonder how many people go to a yoga class because they
want to acquire resistance and tension? No one, I would speculate. Yet I
frequently see people in the yoga classes having difficulty letting go of this
holding. I think we, as human beings living in this high-stress world, have
become so used to tension and holding that we unconsciously accept it as
our normal way of being. It is not normal, and you can release it.
What is important in the yoga practice is to release into the posture, not to
hold it. In our everyday lives, much of the experience of our body, mind,
and emotions involves holding ourselves tight, and most of the time, that
holding is unconscious. Stressful situations arise and we brace ourselves
against them; therein lies the pain of tension. It is as if we are wearing
medieval armor, unconsciously protecting ourselves. But in the act of
protecting, we create more pain. The action of holding becomes second
nature to us, and we don’t even realize we are doing it. And because it is
so common in our everyday experience, we bring holding and tension into
our yoga practice without even realizing it. I believe the reason we practice
yoga, and why yoga exists, is to release that holding.
One of the things that interferes with the experience of letting go is the
conventional idea that we want to “do it right.” The source of this impulse is
the ego and in the conditioning we received when we were children.
Parents often drill into their children: be good, be correct, achieve. Maybe
that was drilled into you. Realizing the influence of these factors goes a
long way toward freeing yourself from this constrictive way of being in the
world. So, rather than approaching the yoga practice as a means of
attempting perfection, forget about perfection and achieving. These are
symptoms of the self-harming act of holding rather than the self-knowing
act of letting go. Can you let go into a deeper understanding of your body,
of your mind, and your emotions? This is what lies at the heart of yoga.
Can you develop a relationship with your thoughts, your emotions, and your
body, and can you delve into an awareness of what is happening in your unconscious mind? The conscious mind is steeped in logic and reason and
what is “right.” Have you ever been with someone who is always insisting
that they are “right?” They are exhausting and agitating people to be
around. That is also what it is like to be glued to the conscious mind.
However, the unconscious mind reveals the truth of who you are. This is
what is meant by self-awareness, and self-awareness is the path to
freedom. So, instead of insisting that you are right and instead of trying,
trying, trying, recognize that you can be wrong. Simply allow yourself to BE,
and by extension, allow yourself to BE in the asana.
This is where the breath comes into the yoga practice. It is a physiological
fact that each time the body exhales there is an experience of letting go
and that each inhalation creates an expansion within oneself. Knowing this
and cultivating this knowledge in your practice is essential in yoga and in
your everyday life. But, as human beings, we have the propensity to make
things more complicated than they actually are. As Alan Watts said, “Life is
not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be explored.” For example,
let’s take just one asana, the Triangle Pose. When you inhale, you can feel
the lower back, the hips, the torso, and the spine opening. When you
breathe out, you can feel the lower back, the hips, the torso, and the spine
softening and releasing. Can you begin to let go of that old compulsion to
hold it, to do it, to do it right? Just feel it and breathe. In turn, can you
simply feel your life living and just be in your life and breathe? Doing so will
allow you to let go of all of that mental, physical, and emotional tension and
holding that you have been carrying for so long and literally let it fall away.
While some may think of yoga as a workout or an exercise routine, nothing
can be further from the truth. Yoga is a deep release. It is a deeply opening
experience that, when practiced with ease and awareness and kindness
toward yourself, can bring you to a life without undue struggle and anxiety.
You can begin to live your life with true inner freedom and peace, along
with the unbelievable joy that brings.
Yoga Classes at the Lafayette YMCA
At the corner of 95th Street and Arapahoe Avenue
Sunday Mornings at 10am-11:30am
Integral Yoga
Thursday Mornings at 10am-11am
Gentle Yoga for Hips and Lower Back
YMCA Classes are Free for Silver Sneakers and for Renew and Active members.
Drop-ins are $15
Zoom Yoga Classes
Tuesday and Friday mornings at 10am-11:30am
$15 per class
If you would like to join the Zoom class just let me know at openspaceyoga@hotmail.com and I will send you the link.
For more information : https://openspaceopenmind.net/yoga/
🕉
Counseling
This is not psychotherapy but an opportunity to find a new and compassionate way to approach your well-being through discussion, reflection and self-inquiry. What you think of as problems may not be problems at all. It is possible to free yourself of all those things that have been disturbing you and to be in your life in an easeful, relaxing way.
If you are struggling with issues of relationship, work, or family, if you are experiencing anxiety or depression,
If you are confused by the mysteries of aging, if changes in your life are troubling you, if you can’t find peace in your life,
give me a call at 303-396-9023 or email me at openspaceyoga@hotmail.com
I offer a free ½ hour consultation on the phone or Zoom so that you can see if you would like to set up an appointment for a session.
Sessions are 60 minutes.
One session is $80 or you can sign up for 3 sessions at $225
For more information visit: https://openspaceopenmind.net/spiritual-counselin/
Namaste, CM
Open Space, Open Mind 