Relax into the Chaos
Having a rough day, week, or year? Just relax.
Kinda want to punch me for saying that?
I get it. Just hear me out.
Surfers are taught that if they wipe out in a wave: surrender, don’t fight it. Relax, ride it out, get a little tumbled, and wait for the wave to naturally recede before pushing toward the surface. Sometimes you can’t actually tell which side is up until the wave has fully crashed upon you. Thrashing, kicking, and fighting the inevitable wave will not get you to the surface any quicker; it will only exhaust you.
Life is the same way. We have a natural urge to RESIST and fight the things we don’t want or like in our lives. Sometimes there is a place for this, such as ending a toxic relationship, or standing up for yourself when you need to. But sometimes, we resist the inevitable- a needed surgery, a death close to us, a big life transition. Sometimes the only resistance we are posing is mental, but it’s still exhausting. We put tremendous energy towards thinking and saying, “I hate this, this shouldn’t be happening, I wish things were different, I’m angry this is happening, I’m worried about...” Honestly, sometimes it’s the mental resistance that causes just as much or more pain and discomfort that the actual thing you are dreading.
Part of the beauty of Yoga is that it rewires the stress and emotion centers of your brain to be calm in a stressful situation. In yoga we twist ourselves into challenging, foreign, and somewhat stressful positions and tell you to breathe deeply and relax. The more you breathe, the more you will yourself to relax into the pose, the more you reassure yourself that you can do this and everything is okay, the easier the pose gets.
So if you’re finding yourself in a particularly challenging phase of life right now, be extra gentle with yourself and accept what is (even if you don’t particularly like it). You don’t need your own self-criticism, worry, or obsessive attempts to control things to make your life that much harder and more miserable. Give your brain and your heart a break, and just let go. Let yourself relax. This wave WILL run its course, and you WILL resurface even stronger.
