Control

Judith Lasater, an internationally renowned yoga teacher and author, defines control and impatience as, “resisting what is”. We all have that feeling someplace. We like “what is” somewhere in our lives and as change begins to creep in, as it inevitably does, we resist the changes. But, if we are truly connected to our inner selves, and on the path of growth, we need to trust that that change is what we need, it is something good, something we need to learn. One of my clients had a beautiful insight about the gentle changes that were coming into her life as she relaxed her control. She was beginning to understand how her attempting to control the areas of her life had caused her suffering. She hadn’t been allowing the changes the Universe had in store for her. “It is as if the Universe is subtlely righting itself.” I love that thought! How wonderful to view changes in your life in that light.

Letting in the Good

I have discovered a new step for me in receiving, accepting it in. I know, “duh”, but there it is. I am a doer. I can out-do the best of the best, and I am in the process of recovering from that syndrome! My big “aha” of the year is that all my doing doesn’t leave space for things to come in. I am like a hamster in a wheel, things are always going for me. Interestingly, I love what I do. I am truly inspired by my life, my marriage, my parenting, my work. It is all so good and so wonderful, I didn’t think the “doing” was harming me. Hmmm…”harming” is too strong of a word. Certainly doing things that inspire me doesn’t harm me, though, when done too much, with no space between the thoughts, it doesn’t leave room for the new, wonderful things to come in.

Surrender has been my focus for this year so far. Surrendering to the moment, to the control, to the flow of my life. In my yoga practice, I have focused on forward folds and restorative poses, all about surrender. In my breathing practice I have focused on exhalation, the surrender and letting go portion of the breath. I often struggled with my exhale, never fully letting it go completely. For the past week, my exhale has felt glorious. Now, I realize that it is time to do inhalation, bringing in the something new. I am ready to accept something new.

I have been reading a new book: Relax into Wealth by Alan Cohen. He has some good quotes for me that I would love to share with you:

“If what you are doing isn’t working, doing more of it will not work any better. Creative visualization requires far less effort than exasperated action, and sets you up to win. So quite spinning your wheels, shrug off the day’s difficulties, and take a set in the theater of your goals. Then you will be unbeatable.” (Alan Cohen)

“The game of success is less about getting good things to happen, and more about letting good things happen.” (Alan Cohen)

“I am fully and wholeheartedly willing to receive ____________ now.” (Alan Cohen)
“Leap, and the net will appear.” (Julia Cameron)

“The antidote to fear is not to push hard against it or buck your way through it. The answer is to tap into a deeper knowing than the level that fear is speaking from. That deep place always exists inside you; your role is to relax into it.” (Alan Cohen)