The Art of Letting Go: Use These 6 Poses to Let Go... On and Off Your Mat

May 7

Humans love to categorize things. Put things in neat little boxes with clear and concise labels. It’s our nature in a way. Our brains are wired to find patterns – including patterns within ourselves and others.

Order within the complexity.

Sometimes that innate quality in humans means that we feel the need to define ourselves in very linear terms.

‘This is right and this is wrong,’

‘I am this, therefore I behave in this manner,’

‘I follow PATH X to get to DESTINATION X.’

But do you ever find yourself getting super attached to those labels?

Here’s an example:

Maybe your entire life you’ve known you want to be a scientist [read: insert your childhood career here, or expected lifestyle, or really, anything having to do with your adulthood and expectations placed on you – by yourself or others].

Because your mom was a scientist. And your grandfather. And science has always been a large part of your family’s history.

So duh, why wouldn’t you become a scientist, too?

Until one day down the road, the simple question presents itself in your mind:

But what if there’s something else I want to do?

To be?

My family has always defined themselves around science – but what if that doesn’t fit for me?

Science, and career, are just one, broad example of the labels and identities and expectations we place on ourselves.

Funny enough, we humans forget that, while we enjoy finding patterns and making things make sense, we’re also fluid, adaptable, and ever-changing creatures.

That’s literally how we’ve managed to survive on this planet for so long.

By adapting and changing.

When we tend to cling to the patterns and labels and identities… we’re actually seeking safety.

It’s our survival instinct. If we can predict future events – predict our future – we’re safe and provided for. No surprises.

Aparigraha: The Art of Letting Go

But that can also be exhausting and taxing to constantly be on alert – always planning, always anticipating.

In yoga, ‘aparigraha’ is a term used to describe letting go of attachments – in all its forms. It’s believed that when you’re able to let go of attachments, not only does this help to switch your nervous system from fight-or-flight into rest-and-digest, but it also allows for a greater connection with the deepest parts of yourself … and a higher consciousness.

It’s like turning down the noise of all the opinions of others around you – family, friends, social media, society – and turning up the gentle and subtle inner guidance that’s been there the entire time.

What you want

Who you want to be

How you want to navigate this world

How you want to enjoy this world…

That matters and is important too.

Many times the best things in life are the things that can’t be planned or anticipated. But instead the things that occur organically, stemming from your own unique heartsong.

The Art of Letting Go On Your Mat

6 Poses to Let Go and Practice Aparigraha

Child’s Pose

How to: Begin from tabletop. Create space between your knees, even reaching your knees toward the outer edges of your mat. Sink you hips down toward your heels with your big toes touching. As you bring your forehead down to the mat, resting it there, you can either reach your arms out toward the top of your mat, or you can rest them alongside your legs, palms facing up.

Child’s Pose can be an active pose or a surrender pose. With your forehead resting on the mat, feel the sensation of the weight on your forehead. Focus on your breath, allowing each exhale to sink your chest and forehead a little further toward the mat. Allow your shoulders to relax, your body to feel heavy and at rest. Child pose asks you to surrender to your inner self.

Fish Pose

How to: Begin laying on your back. Place your hands under your hips, framing your tailbone. Extend your legs out straight, zip them up, and point your toes. Using your elbows, as you inhale, lift your back and head off the mat completely. As you exhale, gaze behind you, bringing the crown of your head to rest back down on the mat. Your back remains off the mat, arching. Focus your breath and bring your attention to your throat and chest. As you breathe, feel the expansion in both of these areas – opening and expanding your throat and heart centers.

Fish pose asks you to open your heart, and express through your voice. It creates expansion in these centers of your body, encouraging you to lead with your heart and speak from your heart.

Pigeon Pose

How to: Begin from downward-facing dog. Inhale and bring your right leg up toward the sky. Exhale and bring your leg down and through, placing your right knee directly behind your right wrist. Your right ankle can be placed either behind your left wrist, or tucked toward your left hip. You want to square your hips so they are level and reach your left foot as far back as it will go – sinking your hips closer to the mat. You can keep your chest lifting, or exhale and fold forward, bringing your chest to the mat and resting your head in your hands, on a block, or on the mat. Hold here for however long feels good and then switch sides.

Pigeon pose can be both challenging and a great release. There is a component of expansion and release through the hips and surrender as your hips and chest melt toward the mat. It is said many people hold stored emotions through the hips, so if you notice emotions, or tears, arise, just allow them the flow.

Wild Thing

How to: Begin in downward-facing dog. Inhale and reach your right leg toward the sky. As you exhale, cross your right leg over your body, placing your right foot down to the ground and rotating your chest to the ceiling. Your right arm reaching overhead and toward the top of your mat. Hold here for a few breaths before switching sides.

Wild Thing can take practice to get into, especially if you’re someone who notices you carry tension in your shoulders and back. However, this pose is amazing for opening up that tension in the shoulders and back, and creating expansion in your heart center.

Camel Pose

How to: Begin kneeling with your knees hip distance apart and your torso upright. Tuck your toes. Variation 1: Inhale your arms overhead. As you exhale, bring both hands to the base of your lower back. Variation 2: Inhale your arms overhead. As you exhale, bring one hand down to your heel, leaving the opposite hand reaching overhead. Variation 3: Inhale your arms overhead. As you exhale, bring your right hand down to your right heel, then your left hand down to your left heel. Arch your back and reach your chest toward the sky.

Camel pose is a heart-opening pose, asking you to surrender through the arch in your back and your chest reaching to the sky. Focus on your exhales as you reach your chest a little further, opening your heart and letting go a little more.

Corpse Pose

How to: Lay flat on your back. Roll your shoulders underneath you. Palms are flat alongside you. Begin relaxing each muscle, from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. Allow your limbs to become heavy and your eyelids to close. Focus on your breathing and rest here for at least 5 minutes.

Corpse pose is the ultimate surrender pose. In a world that never stops, you may notice it can be difficult to completely relax, completely rest, and completely let go. Corpse pose is asking you to do all of that.

Find Your Letting Go

Letting go can look like gentle surrender with gentle poses. Or it can look like moving and flowing and building heat in your body to the point where your mind can no longer take over.

And surely, you’ll have times for both in your life.

Sometimes you’ll know what needs letting go, while other times it’s just a feeling – an inkling. Know that in your time, and in your way, you’ll find your letting go.