If you let go a little.

⁣If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace and freedom. Your struggles with the world will have come to an end. - Ajahn Chah, from A Still Forest Pool, compiled by Jack Kornfield and Paul Breiter

I come from a family of worriers. When I was a young adult, in the working world, going to school, I would often work late nights over the summer at the pizza shop. Sometimes before a work shift a group of us would decide to go out after closing, maybe to the local Big Boy for an early morning breakfast buffet, or a midnight game of bowling. Whatever was going on, I would usually leave a note at home just telling my parents that I would be heading out after work. My cat Tabby was always there to greet me at the door regardless of the hour, and my mom would be sitting in a dark living room waiting up, because she couldn’t sleep. Really, it was a lot of anxiety of knowing that I had not returned home yet. She couldn’t seem to let go of the fact that, that I was an adult, capable of making my own decisions (or mistakes), I mean this is life and this is how we grow.

As I started to practice yoga, I started to see glimpses of these small changes, even with the cue of the breath. Now in my own classes I will cue my students to start to soften with each exhale as if they are shedding a layer. Each little bit you give away brings a little more lightness. 

Letting go is sometimes really difficult. Sometimes it hurts because it’s so connected with our heart. Although again, we do hard things and beneath the tough layers is softness. Within that softness is love.