Musings on Impermanence
September really seems to have brought a shift. I’m noticing a change in the light, a change in the temperature, a change in the energy. I’ve taught a couple of early morning sessions in my new SkyLight space this week, and it’s been perfect. The morning sun just coming through the windows to give a soft glow to the walls, the lights dimmed, the space quiet. A little sanctuary of peace to start the day.
The change of season
Autumn is all about change and transformation. This is the season to let go of what you need to so you can put your energy into the things that help you thrive.
I’ve been thinking this week about impermanence, how everything is in a state of constant flux and change (with some things this is obvious, with others less so). It can be easy to hang onto the familiar, but sometimes what we need is to get out of our comfort zone, shed our old leaves, and give space for something new.
The cycle of change
In our yoga practice, particularly in the Ashtanga practice, we are constantly moving through this cycle of creation and letting go. We come into an asana, we stay with awareness, then we dissolve that shape as we move onto the next. The practice continually asks us to leave one thing behind to create something new, and to place our awareness in each new thing as it comes.
Our breath is also a continual cycle. Each inhalation flows into an exhalation, and each exhale brings the next inhale.
And this cyclical nature of everything is what brings balance.
We need movement to create stillness, and from that stillness movement comes.
We create postures where we can build awareness and then let them go so we can move on.
Without the energy of creation, of movement, nothing would happen. There would only be the seeds of potential. And yet without that underlying potential, nothing could be created. So round and round we go.
Nothing is forever
This can be a helpful reminder when things are challenging. Nothing is forever. As people often said to me when my girls were little and we hit a bumpy patch, “this too shall pass”. Sometimes we want things to pass quickly, we are in an uncomfortable situation and want to get out. Sometimes we wish we could stay in a moment forever, and we are not ready to let go. Whatever our feelings, the wheel continues to turn, the cycle of life continues.
Perhaps the practice is not about learning how to hold onto the things we love, or how to rush through the things we find difficult. Perhaps it is about learning to be present with whatever is here, knowing that it will change. To breathe in, and breathe out. To create, and to let go. To move, and to be still.
What do you think?