The Wind is Shifting

You have probably heard me talk about "Non-Attachment" before in class, but I feel it is incredibly important now as we are truly shifting months, seasons, and time changes.

Non-attachment or Aparigraha is one of the Yamas of the 8 limbs of yoga. The Yamas are basic moral guidelines by which to live with regard to our relationships with ourselves and the world around us.

When things begin to shift and change your reaction might be excited for what is coming, ready to leave the past in the past. Or your reaction might be dread for fear of change and the unknown. It can be as simple as some of us are winter people, excited for the snuggles winter brings and ready to forget about the sweat of July or some of us are summer people, dreading the coming winter and sad to leave the warm summer behind. Either way, both seasons are part of the whole year and we must constantly be passing from one to the other.

But this is less about what was or what will be, but about living in the transition; the time of change. In that journey, we learn about ourselves. What we like or dislike. What is easy or hard. What is needed or not. Just as when we transition from posture to posture. It is not about being in the final pose, it is about the journey to it. In that, we learn about balance, where our foot lands, how our core twists, where our gaze follows, and ultimately how it affects our breath, our prana, our life force. This is how we learn about our bodies and the adventure of the flow.

So as we shift through the seasons, especially with one day being dry and warm and another being cold and wet, I encourage you to practice non-attachment. No attachment to what was, no expectation to what will be, but simply allow for what is. Be present in the morning dew, the afternoon sun, and the evening starlight.