When it’s time to let go

How releasing what no longer fits opens space for what truly nourishes you.

Letting go of opportunities that no longer feel fitting is never easy.

There is a period of reckoning that we have to face, in which we admit to ourselves that our environment is no longer serving us.

I have had this experience in various forms over the years, but today I face this realization in the context of my work and my business efforts.

I finally let go of entrepreneurial efforts that have been a dead in for years. I was reluctant to let go because I identified too much with the role itself — teaching yoga (at least in the way that I envisioned).

If I am being honest, I am pretty tired of the term “yoga” right now. I don’t like to say that I am a yoga teacher and I am tired of the yoga industry. I find it superficial and orthodox in many ways. I have moved on and it took me some time to come to terms with this change in attitude towards what used to bring me so much fulfillment and joy.

Now it feels like a trap — a space that I simply don’t want to be in.

I want to be free, and I have finally allowed myself this freedom.

When you begin to sense that it is time to move on.

Where do we begin on this theme?

We begin with where this theme starts: the feeling.

You don’t even bother asking yourself if it is time to move on until you begin to occupy these thoughts.

There may be some denial, some suppression.

Visiting cafés more often, spending more money on lattes.

(Matcha lattes in my case :)

But you can only run from the truth for so long. It will catch up with you.

Why? Because the way you feel is you speaking to yourself.

It is your subconscious saying “hey, there is something to see here”.

And when you choose denial and escape, who are you running from?

Yourself.

It’s pretty silly. And there is definitely no shame in it.

There is no harm in trying to run from the truth either. It’s part of being human.

The good news is that when you are ready to face it and accept it, it will be there.

But as long as you are running…

It is worth clarifying that there are consequences to running from what is real, what is right in front of you.

Life says “this isn’t for you anymore”

And you look the other way.

This doesn’t change anything,

But looking the other way has its drawbacks:

For one, the feeling doesn’t go away. If anything it gets stronger.

You want to feel better, so you reach for sugar, caffeine, tv — anything to keep your mind off of what you don’t want to look at.

But in those moments or silence (or boredom) the emotions will surface again.

Second, when we suppress our emotions, we begin to feel it physically.

Pain, stiffness, a sense of heaviness.

Or other health problems (at this point we are speaking of chronic health issues).

When the symptoms come up we don’t attribute them to what we suppressed

(Sometimes it is also lifestyle related, our environment, etc)

But there is something to be said about feeling in order to feel more present, more embodied, more at peace.

A lot of emotion is stored in the body in the form of tension.

Moving, breathing, feeling, hydrating, eating well — all of these choices support the physical body and therefore support us to be more present with what we are experiencing.

As you start being present with yourself, breathing into what is hurting, relaxing more, surrendering more,

You will notice that these stagnant emotions

(Emotions = energy in motion)

Start to pass.

And when they do, we can begin to see our situation more clearly.

What are we so afraid of?

Why are we so insistent on running away from these emotions?

Well, it might be because they are not so pleasant.

Who wants to experience grief? Loss? Regret?

We celebrate the highs and we strive to avoid the lows.

We don’t like to feel bad and we don’t want others to see us feeling bad.

We can hardly admit to others that we are feeling down, as if it is something to be ashamed of.

Society sure acts like it is.

Our modern narratives tell us that feeling bad is to be inadequate,

Unproductive,

Immature, etc.

Women are overly emotional, men are weak.

When did we forget that feeling was more about transformation than anything else?

We don’t feel because we don’t know better or because we are lesser as people.

We feel because we have a narrative that led us to feel the way we feel.

And by feeling, we gain clarity — we realize what that emotional experience was all about.

We walk away feel transformed, empowered, and at the very least, at peace.

After sitting with our emotions, processing them, and letting them pass,

We understand how they were meant to serve us

And we can even be grateful for them!

What comes next: Chasing life

The next step of this journey is the most fun one.

We have processed the emotions, released them, and we are ready to step into the next chapter —

We open up to possibilities, opportunities.

Excitement fills us, and awaits us.

We don’t need to think much about what the next step is or where we are going,

Because we understand clearly what the last phase taught us.

As if by magic,

Our experience has transformed us,

Renewed us,

And we feel like a new person —

Ready to go out into the world and willingly embrace the next set of lessons.

Because it never ends.

What do they say about the journey?

That it is the destination?

We do this thing called life for the sake of the growth that we undergo.

This is where the gold is.

We are never fully satisfied by the outcomes of our labors.

But we feel immense satisfaction when we reflect on how far we have come.

And so we continue to walk the path with greater courage,

Eager to discover more and more of our true and authentic selves with each step.

A graceful goodbye, A courageous continuation

While we can momentarily feel excited for the possibilities and opportunities that the future can hold for us,

It is equally likely that we will feel grief for what we are leaving behind.

And some anxiety regarding what is ahead.

Our experience will always be characterized by mixed emotions.

It will always depend on the moment, on where we find ourselves, where we are placing our attention.

We don’t need to expect perfection of ourselves.

In times of transition, the full range of emotions should embraced.

It is part of the process of saying goodbye gracefully,

With gratitude,

And moving forward with faith in the process,

And belief in yourself.

While we will periodically experience moments of strong insight,

In which we understand deeply how our experiences are serving us,

And how we are growing from them,

We will occasionally slip into our old patterns,

Of grief, worry, fear.

This doesn’t mean we are failing.

It means we are human.

Closing reflection

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” — Lao Tzu

We often live our lives with the expectation of constancy.

But this is far from reality.

The true nature of our experience is constant change.

Yet, we are so resistant to change.

What does this mean for us?

I suspect that we are learning to be softer,

to let go more,

to “surrender,” as they say —

whatever that means.

It is a feeling, a way of being that we have to embody in order to understand what it is all about.

It is arguably the goal of this whole experience:

to be fully present in every moment,

not in our heads — interpreting, assuming, labeling —

but just being.

Living, moving, but all the while — being.

This mysterious way of being is something we have all tasted in moments when we were fully absorbed,

fully present,

in the flow state, as they call it.

And this is who we are, at our essence.

Life is a process of remembering this embodiment, of remembering ourselves.