How Yoga Helps You to Let Go and Grow

When we let go of the old, we make room for the new.

Change can be painful, challenging, and uncomfortable. As humans we have a tendency to avoid change because we are perfectly content living our lives knowing what to expect. But if we don’t take a step forward, we stay hidden in our comfort zones and prevent ourselves from growing. Oftentimes your mind is the only thing getting in the way of that growth.

So how do we overcome our minds and take that step forward? Yoga is one of many ways.

Through the practice of yoga we’re able to use the body as a vehicle to quiet the mind. When the mind is quiet, we’re able to see more clearly what thoughts and beliefs are holding us back. We’re able to acknowledge and release them, creating space within ourselves to grow, change, and uplevel.

Have you ever been fully immersed in a yoga class when all of a sudden out of nowhere, you randomly recall an uncomfortable memory from your past? It’s almost like you can feel the same emotions you had felt at the time when the memory was made. But this time you’re viewing it from a different lens - an older and wiser one; one with more life experience. Now you can acknowledge that this memory (or “impression” as it is referred to in the yoga sutras) needs to be healed and released. And once you’ve healed and released a painful memory, you’re finally able to create space to change.

The yoga sutras teach us, “Life is experienced by the mind through the body.” To change our lives we must first change our minds. Next time you feel stuck in a certain aspect of your life, try taking a yoga class. You could end up finding more clarity in a 60 minute class than you’ve had in weeks.

“You don’t just wake up and become the butterfly. Growth is a process.” - Rupi Kaur, The Sun and Her Flowers

How do you feel about change? Would you try something like yoga if you knew it could help you change your life?

Namaste!

Erin