Breath
Connection
to Practice
Allow & Trust
What does it mean to allow & trust? Acceptance? Realization that we don't have control over something? Invitation to be curious about a bigger energy inside each of us & in the world to guide us??
I have been contemplating this a great deal the last few months. When our lives are going well, it is easy to embody & to practice allow & trust. But, what happens during times of unexpected challenges & unforeseen heartaches & crisis? How do we allow & trust then? Mantras - (phases that protect) - that I find myself using are "Let Go & Let Be" or "Let Go & Let God."
I think it is important to remember that use of either of these mantras does not mean that we embrace an attitude of indifference or apathy. In fact, it is just the opposite. Indeed, it truly is a practice of faith and great courage..We don't lessen our heart investment in an issue but rather we remember & trust a bigger energy - God, the Divine, Higher Power- (think of it as a large vessel of pure resilient love) to hold that which is dear to our heart & that which we have no control over.
Mindfulness of our breath helps us to remember our wholeness & our connection to all beings. Our breath is a refuge of strength, resiliency & spaciousness to remind us of our capacity to allow rather than control life and/or others. We have to practice, practice mindfulness of each breath to feel our capacity to ALLOW, let go & let be. Like most things, the more we practice, the more skillful we become.
Awareness of the breath also welcomes us to create a more spacious container, a sacred vessel within us to hold discomfort, fear & anxiety that arises when we experience uncertainty, unpredictability and/or lack of information-the three universal triggers of stress. In other words, the breath is a sacred refuge to help us become stronger & more resilient when we feel most vulnerable. Connecting to the sound & feel of each breath moving in & out of our body invites us to practice allow & trust in that bigger energy to guide & comfort us.
By doing so, we shift our relationship to uncertainty &/or lack of control. We don't necessarily change the external factors (the sea of uncertainty or lack of control) but we change how we hold it, from a place of feeling helpless & disempowered to a place of feeling freedom & empowerment.
In truth, most of us do not want to control others. Just think, do you really want someone controlling you or making decisions for you, for your life? Letting go & letting be invites us to humbly remember that there is a Supreme energy to guide each of us & all of life & others. It also provides us with a sense of freedom & peace.
When we "allow" we enter into the practice of "kshama" -patience or the ability to assume the witnessing consciousness & trust that our life is unfolding as it is spiritually intended to at this time. A reservoir of patience in turn expands our capacity for trust; and to develop & manifest inner peace & freedom.
When we find ourselves feeling overwhelmed & anxious, the breath also usually lets us know by it feeling constricted or not moving with ease. Then, we can pause, be kind to ourselves & start again with the mantras & mindful breath. The breath is patient -always waiting for us to begin again & connect to that place of divine fullness deep within us.
Come join me for yoga, breath practices & meditation to become more skillful to allow & trust; & to practice "Let Go & Let God"; "Let Go & Let Be."
