Practicing Letting Go...

Something truly wonderful happened last Sunday - Nell tidied her bedroom! Well, actually, Dom and Nell gutted her bedroom. This has been way overdue and we decided as a family it was best for me not to be involved. You see, I have this tendency to be a little overly sentimental. This has improved over the years thanks to my yoga practice but when it comes to Nell my ten year old daughter I want to keep everything she has ever touched!

Aparigraha - non possessiveness - is a yama, a moral code that yoga suggests we practise to live happy and healthy lives. Thankfully, by practising non possessiveness, I have become aware of the importance of letting go, so I took a deep breath and let Dom and Nell get on with it.

By bedtime the task was complete and the car was full, ready for a trip to the charity shop. The room looked beautiful and Nell had the biggest grin on her face. She commented on how much she had enjoyed the day and how she now felt different in her clean and tidy bedroom. The word she used was lighter. “ I feel lighter Mum.”

Since Sunday she has gone on to make her bed every morning and fold her pyjamas and night socks placing them neatly on her pillow with mindfulness and care. I know it won't last forever but it's heart warming to witness.

Sometimes we struggle to let go. We cling onto our material objects, our beliefs, our expectations for far too long. Missing out on the opportunity to, in Nell’s words, feel "lighter".

So is there anything you could let go of to invite aparigraha into your life? It may be as simple as a material object or as complicated as a person but the act of letting go only eventually brings freedom, peace and light.

Thank you for being here. Sending love and kindness,

Laura x