We come to the mat with deep attachments, lots of emotions,
tightness, instability, fears and maybe even the hope of some miracle of
healing. We forget that yoga is a
journey of the soul. It’s like
peeling away layers of an onion when we have deep seated emotions and other
attachments which we are trying to release. The outer
layer may seem easy; releasing tightness, gaining strength, getting to know the
poses, but the inner layer – releasing the deep stuff may take a lot of
patience, strength and letting go.
When we recognize the patterns that no longer serve us we
begin the process of changing. We
may have deep attachments to thought patterns, pain, situations, past events,
etc. These types of situations are
the heart of our practice. Learning
a new way of being…..going down to the core of who we really are. Our true self. We need to have faith, trust, a
positive outlook on ourselves and the will of letting go. These issues keep arising until we
examine the feelings behind them, accept the feeling and then let go. It can be a grueling process. The ego tries its hardest to hold
on. But with the knowledge of
realizing we are not out thoughts, bodies or emotions we can begin the process
of peeling away the layers of unconscious. Some of us may first come to the mat with the hopes of
gaining strength, flexibility, toning our bodies but we end up with so much
more. Some attachments are really
deep and can be tough to overcome but with patience, persistence and a strong
will, it can be done.
Non-attachment is needed.
Coming to practice with an intention but not attaching to the outcome. It is a long journey but one well worth
taking. We come away a bit lighter
both physically and mentally and seeing ourselves in a new light. Persistence……we may fall down in a pose
but we always get back up. When we learn to do it without attachment and a big
smile, it makes the journey a lot more fun. I wish you the best of luck on your journey filled with
Light, Peace and Love. Blessings.
Namaste
Carmela
Carmela Danna completed her teacher training in March 2006 at Yoga Works, New York. She has since attended various workshops in continuing education. She left her full time job in Princeton, NJ to pursue her passion of teaching yoga. Yoga has been a big influence in her life and she wants to share her passion of yoga. Aside from a regular asana practice, Carmela enjoys restorative yoga and meditation.
