Sometimes Let it Be comes before Letting it Go

I've received that message multiple times this week. I read that idea somewhere a few weeks ago and I have had the universe reiterate it to me in the last few days. This morning the teacher even played Let it Be by the Beatles during Shivasana after yoga sculpt class!

So many times we get the message from ourselves or from others that we just need to let things go. We want to move on in our lives and we think we have to let things go in order to do that. We think we need closure.

Meditation seems to be about letting go of our worries and that seems to be the hard part. We think we can't meditate because we can't let go of our thoughts. But sometimes, it's better to just let things be than let them go. When we just let them be, we can move on before we let them go.

Sometimes we aren't ready to let go. Sometimes in trying to let go, we do too much work. We make more problems. We add, rather than subtract.

I learned this from my body in restorative yoga last night. In restorative yoga, you find the pose and then you sit with it for several minutes. You are supposed to let go and surrender and then let time and gravity to the work. You are not supposed to do any work.

But when you try to let go, you are doing work. So I remembered the idea of let it be. I just let my body be, even if it didn't feel like it was letting go. Even if it felt a little strained in places. I just let it be. Then I let time and gravity do its thing. If I kept trying to let go, I would be fidgeting or thinking too much. I'd be doing work. I decided not to do that. My body let go when it was ready. In some poses, it was never ready. Time didn't have enough time. But that's okay. In some poses, it really let go.

There is one pose that is a real wonder. It is a most uncomfortable pose for restorative yoga. Your arm is outstretched. Your shoulder is against the floor. Your body is twisted and your foot is on the floor across your back. Time and gravity does its thing and although it's not relaxing in the least during the pose, when you come out of it, somehow you feel the most relaxed you've felt in your entire life.

I need to remember this. When there are things I need to let go, I can't force myself to let them go. I can't rush time and gravity. I need to let them be. They will go when it's time. I can let them be and move right through them. I don't need to wait for them to be gone in order to move on. I don't always need closure. I can live with loose ends. I can be uncomfortable. I know how.