A Lesson in Letting Go

I was at yoga tonight, and towards the end we were doing "hip openers", in other words, really deep stretches for the hips, which can be stubborn buggers. The instructor said you really have to "let go" and to get into the stretch in order for the posture to really do any good. She commented that Kapotasana is "a lesson in letting go." I got to thinking about that. I've heard similar comments in class before, you have to "give in" to the stretch, that some poses are submissive, you have to surrender to gravity, etc… in order for the asana to be effective. It makes sense, really. If you hold back, you won't get that release of tension, that feeling that makes you go "aahhhh" that is so amazing. But I never really thought of the concept as a metaphor for life until tonight. In a lot of ways, you just have to learn to let go, or a) you'll injure yourself, or b) you'll hinder yourself from experiencing something really amazing. Of course there are times to fight for a posture, like the balancing series, or times to be strong and proud, like Virabhadrasana, and there are times like these in life as well. But sometimes, letting go of something will actually open doors and free you to experience even greater joys. But letting go, surrendering control to sink deep into an unknown-- that is scary. To let go of your failures, instead of letting them define you, means you have to find the courage to once again look forward and move on. To finally put to rest a relationship that is long over means you don't get to daydream about him anymore, idealize what was, or constantly size up potential mates next to him- knowing they will never be what he was, but also realizing they might be so much more. And it also means letting go of those that have hurt you, and not being allowed to use "damaged goods" as an excuse to explain why you're not "out there" again. Because beyond the failure, the regret, the pain and heartache, is something more, something different, that will feel so amazingly wonderful. You just have to trust yourself to go there.