The notion of letting go can be bewildering, conjuring images of “throwing in the towel”, giving in or becoming roadkill to someone else’s overpowering will. From the point of view of the ego, it may seem like giving up, taking a loss or being irresponsible. But when we look deeper, we see that nothing could be further from the truth.
When we are stressed, our field of perception narrows. A remnant from our ancestor’s need to run for our lives when chased by a lion in the jungle, this focus still serves our need to survive. But when habitually used as a day-to-day stress response, our narrow sight may help us feel we are safe in the jungle, but in so doing, we have missed living.
We all have lions in our lives. They are whatever we feel anxious about, such as a job, spouse, exam, mortgage, or parents. By learning to see people and events not as predators, but as simply things that come and go and do not threaten our core existence, we reclaim the power we gave them. A bit like ghosts in our closet, when we open the door and turn on the light, we see that there was nothing to fear. Everyone wants to be loved and is doing their best at every given moment with the consciousness they have. With this understanding alone, you can disarm even your greatest fears.
There are great advantages to letting go of your fear of your lions. Your field of vision expands and you see more fully. In so doing, you tap into infinite possibilities and flow within a greater whole. You may find that the phone call you had been anxiously awaiting suddenly happens or cash for an outstanding bill arrives in the mail. You may see a broken step on the stairs and avoid a painful tumble, or become aware of unexpected sources of abundance, friendship and connection. As you learn to let go, you get out of your own way and receive support inherent within nature.
When the flower springs from the soil in spring, or when the tree stands quietly amidst the breeze, is it thinking “gotta get it right” or “gotta work harder”? Or have they let go to a power beyond our limited will?
For nature, life just is. When we let go, we rest into this “isness”. Letting go is gentle, quiet, powerful, active, alive, vital… because it relies on a state of feeling connected, interconnected, a part of it all. We are constantly held within the whole, supported by life-force and completely loved. Our minds may be attached to distortions that tell us otherwise, but that does not change the fact that the loving support is here, if we are willing to let go and receive it.
In the midst of your busy life, make sure you say hello to the flowers and the trees. Notice how they do not struggle to be, but are in a rapturous state of deep surrender. Rooted in the rich Earth, growing up to meet the sky, the tree’s leaves dance in the flowing wind while the flowers display such effortless beauty and ease. Watch carefully. They are flowing within the whole, just as you. By being inspired by nature, and understanding the ways your perceptions are limited, you can learn to rest in your true nature and experience the wise power of letting go.
Next time you feel the impulse to rush to your next meeting, or you feel that feisty urge to make yourself right and others wrong, or you start to push through to the next to-do item on your agenda without really meeting the task at hand, remember that like everything in nature, in every moment, you are a part of an immense force of love that fully supports you through whatever you are experiencing.
It is safe to let go. It is even wise to let go, because in letting go, you return to wholeness. Let go, and allow yourself to feel supported by the love that is already here, now.
Parvati Devi is the editor-in-chief of Parvati Magazine and an internationally recognized Canadian musician, yogi and new thought leader. As a chart-topping touring musician, Parvati spearheads the Post New-Age musical genre with her independent success hit single “Yoga in the Nightclub”. She founded YEM: Yoga as Energy Medicine, a powerful yoga method that combines energy work and yoga poses. Her critically acclaimed self-help debut book “Confessions of a Former Yoga Junkie – A Revolutionary Life Makeover for the Sincere Spiritual Seeker” is currently in its third edition.
For more information on Parvati, please visit www.parvati.tv.