Letting Go

The only certainty is uncertainty and the only constant is change.

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'The root of suffering is attachment'- Buddha

 

One of the most important lessons we can learn in life is that things will never go the way we thought they would. When we are children, the media subliminally convinces us that our life should take a certain trajectory and that perfection is attainable. One of the most extraordinary things about life is that we will never know what is just around the corner for us. The idea of the unknown can be painfully scary when we have lost our sense of self and where we belong in the world. However, when we become stronger in spirit, body, and mind the idea of change can be exciting, and letting go becomes something that sets you free. 

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There can be anxiety in letting go of something, and not knowing what will be left in its place. In my clinic and through my yoga journey, I have come to replace the idea that we lose, or let go of our eating disorder with the idea that we create something far more beautiful in its place so that our disordered eating no longer has a purpose in our lives.

 

Having hope, faith, and trust in this uncovering is important.

 

Take a moment to journal where you already experience hope and faith in your life, aside from your eating disorder. 

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The word Yoga means to join or unite the individual consciousness with the universal consciousness. The practice calls on us to weave our breath with the breath of the oceans, our rhythms with nature's heartbeat, and our hearts with the hearts of others. As individuals from the West, we come from a society of individualism and have lost touch with the collective. If we look around us, everything else has been letting go, except us. Seasons change, tides wash away, we exhale, the trees exhale, and our wombs shed every month. In Buddhism, letting go is practiced with the mandala. The mandala is a beautiful work of art, representing joy and suffering. It takes several weeks of complete dedication to complete. The mandala is then destroyed in one swift sweep representing the ultimate impermanence of all conditioned things and letting go. The mandala must be destroyed for another one to be created. Like a snake sheds its skin, like the falling leaves of autumn we, as women, let go every month. Many of us are so detached from our bodies, this sacred time goes unnourished and we bypass its beautiful symbols, growth, and lessons. Every month, we are given the opportunity to honour impermanence and let go of what no longer serves us.

 

How do you spend this time?

 

How would you like to spend this time? 

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Nourishing your menstrual cycle with ritual, acceptance, and love may help teach us to accept and nourish uncomfortable feelings and emotions. Knowing that 'the only constant is change' can be comforting in the smaller moments (such as feelings and aches and pains). Applying this acceptance and nourishment to the small changes we make in recovery is important. When facing any fear it is important to never lose sight of where these small changes will lead us. 

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Lotus Exploration

 

Today you are going to write a letter from the future. This letter is written to you in recovery from you when your struggles are almost a distant memory. Here are some prompts to help you on your way:

- Where are you writing this letter from as your future self? 

- What beautiful memories have you had over the years after your recovery? 

- What goals have you achieved? 

- What does it look like to be thriving and free from your struggles? 

- Do you have any children, a partner, and/or a pet? 

- How has your life improved since recovery? 

- What words of wisdom do you have to give to yourself in recovery? 

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