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How Yoga Helps Us Let Go

When you let go, what remains?

How Yoga Helps Us Let Go
Photo by Liana S / Unsplash

When you let go, what remains?

I've let go many times and what I know from this is it's a practice, just like yoga.

I let go of my household of possessions a few years ago to drive across the country with 9 bags and 2 cats to start a new life in the Arizona desert.

I've let go of anger I carried for too long, filling a space with forgiveness and a yearning to understand.

I've let go of expectations.

I've let go of dreams that no longer fit.

I've let go in startling leaps of faith.

To be honest, I could still let go of quite a bit. How does yoga help us do this?

Aparigraha: Yoga's 5th Yama Means "Non-Grasping"

The Yamas are the first limb of yoga, the guidelines for how we move through the world. Aparigraha is the fifth, and it might be the hardest one for me. It asks us to loosen our grip on things, people, outcomes, and even who we think we’re supposed to be.

Grasping comes from fear. Fear there won’t be enough. Fear of what happens if we open our hands. Aparigraha reminds us that when we stop clutching, we make room for something new to arrive.

Just like yoga itself, aparigraha is a practice, not a perfect.

How To Practice Aparigraha

On The Mat

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Let go of how a pose is supposed to look or even how yoga is “supposed to be.” Your body today isn’t your body last week, and it doesn’t need to be. Some days your hamstrings say no. Some days you need child’s pose for the whole class. That’s not failing, it's listening. Notice where you grip. Your jaw. Your shoulders. Your breath. Then soften, just a little. And at the end of class, in savasana, let the mat hold all of you. That’s the most honest letting go there is.

Off The Mat

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Aparigraha is about not being greedy and taking only what you need. When I gave away almost everything I owned, I learned how little I actually needed, and how much lighter I felt without it. But "non-grasping" is also about more than stuff. It’s not needing to win the argument. It’s not needing every plan to work out the way I pictured it.
It’s not needing someone to stay the same so I can feel comfortable. It’s holding life with open hands.

So, What Remains?

Here’s what I’ve found. When you let go, you remain. The real you, underneath all the things you thought you couldn’t live without.

And that’s always been enough.

🌵 Around the Valley: yoga this week & next

Cooler mornings are back, which means the Valley's mats are coming outside again. Here's what's worth your time over the next two weeks:

Free & donation-based

  • Free Meditation – Sahaja Yoga Phoenix · Saturdays, 2:00 PM (next: Sat Oct 17) · Phoenix · Free. A weekly drop-in guided meditation, beginner friendly. Details
  • Introduction to Inner Engineering (Isha) · Thu Oct 29, 5:00 PM · Phoenix · Free intro session. Details
  • Save the date – FitPHX Morning Yoga · Sat Nov 14, 9:00 AM · Encanto Park Clubhouse, 2499 N 15th Ave, Phoenix · Free, all levels, City of Phoenix program (every 2nd Saturday). Register
  • Breast Cancer Awareness donation yoga + jiu jitsu open mat, 12th Street Jiu Jitsu, Phoenix, Oct 18

Classes & specialty sessions

  • Women's Yoga & Mobility · Wednesdays, 7:15–8:15 PM (incl. tonight, Oct 14) · Wild Girl Wellness, 4685 S Ash Ave Ste H1, Tempe · Paid drop-in, women only. Part flow, part yin, part mobility — very teach-you-how-it-should-feel. Details
  • Chair Yoga Therapy for Seniors · Thursdays 11:00 AM & Mondays 2:00 PM (next: Thu Oct 15, Mon Oct 19) · Scottsdale. Great to pass along to a parent or grandparent. Thursday · Monday
  • Yoga for Cyclists with Hector · Sun Oct 18, 9:30 AM · Global Bikes Meetup, Phoenix area · Bring your own mat. Details

Know of a class, workshop, or sound bath I missed? Hit reply and tell me — I read every one.

-Heather

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