Thousands of years ago a guy named Patanjali wrote the yoga sutras...a set of guidelines for us to practice both on and off our mats. The intention of these guidelines is that if we try to follow them we will have a more blissful life...or maybe another way to describe it is we will experience less self imposed suffering and more inner peace. He identifies 5 obstacles to this peace with 1 of them being "attachments."
It's when we hold onto or grasp something so tightly that if it is not part of our day we are sad, anxious or maybe even miserable. Freedom from our attachments liberates us to enjoy each moment of our lives more fully. I hand this antics over to Jamie now for her personal example of letting go and de-taching!!
Jamie's Antics!
I taught my first class at Body Language on a Thursday - the 9:45 Ashtanga - 6 years ago. Although the class format has changed, I have always taught Thursday mornings here, so you can imagine my feelings when Andrea asked if I would be up for moving to Tuesday mornings... Thursday's have always been MINE, that's MY Thursday, I was attached to that being MY day. The concept of attachment and non-attachment are mentioned several times in the Yoga Sutras. While most people think Asana (postures) are the most important part of yoga, practicing non-attachment is significantly more important, the sutras warn, attachment can lead to suffering. When we are non-attached, we practice, we love, we help others and we work to leave our best mark in the world. But we do so knowing that the outcome may be different than we envision, and we are OK with that. We are not tied up in the specific results. For example, I can practice yoga faithfully without caring if I ever can hold a handstand for more than 3 seconds, all the while remaining at peace. I give with a full heart regardless of the outcome, because I know that in the long term, things generally turn out as they should. So, I welcome the change with an open heart and open arms. Continue to keep your Thursday 945 yoga and be open to a new teacher and add Tuesday's, and see how that feels, remember the only thing constant in life is change and if we're not changing, we're not growing! Namaste, Jamie :)
