When Autumn approaches, I find myself with the urge to declutter and reorganize my spaces (and life). Spring may be the season to clean, but Fall is when you let things go. Letting go can certainly be a struggle. We all have things that we hold onto for whatever reason. Sometimes the reasons are nostalgic, whether it’s holding onto a piece of clothing or a piece of decor or something that was handed down from a family member. Other reasons could be holding on to a grudge or resentment. Maybe someone “wronged” you and you’re struggling to let it go. Scarcity mindset is another reason we hang onto things. Maybe we’re afraid we won’t have enough later of clothes, food, or money. Holding on to things can make us feel more secure… even if we already or always have had enough or more than enough. Unfortunately holding onto things that don’t serve us can also make us feel suffocated, cluttered, stuck and sad. Learning how to release the excess or the toxic can be cleansing and even inspiring.
We all have our own reasons for why we might hold on to whatever it is and aren’t able to let it go. Finding your process can be very rewarding. For me, it’s finding a way to acknowledge the experience. Yes this “thing” is very important to me because…or I’m struggling to forgive this person because they made me feel…or I’m scared if I let this go I might need it later on. Sometimes just speaking it out loud or writing it in a journal can help us come to terms with the underlying reason we’re hanging on. And then sometimes it’s just not that deep. The kitchen counters got cluttered because we were so busy we didn’t have time to throw out the accumulated junk mail, etc. It was easier to stack everything rather than put it where it goes. Carving out time and just starting with a trash bag in hand can often be the simplest solution. It’s so freeing when you realize you’re better off if you let it go. Emotional clutter like anger and resentment only hurts you. It disrupts your own peace and your own joy. One of my yoga teachers taught me a method that I like to use. Basically, it is to feel it fully. Feel the disappointment. Feel the pain feel and acknowledge the discomfort. I do this sometimes when I have a mosquito bite and it really itches. I know this is a silly example but I’ve just had a Summer spent outdoors and I’ve had to do it several times. So, I just let myself be itchy and I tell myself how much it itches, and I feel that itch fully. Then I take a very deep breath. I am breathing in. I am breathing out. And I invite the opposite-a sense of soothing and calm healed skin. It’s like magic. Suddenly, that bite doesn’t itch anymore. It takes focus and a deliberate intention, but our mind is pretty powerful when we lock in. In the case of resentment, it’s more complicated and may take more effort to release. But it starts with acknowledgment, some acceptance and of course purposeful breathing helps. Is it a situation where you can offer forgiveness or grace and invite peace? If you’ve seen the Disney movie “Frozen”, you’ve witnessed Elsa “letting it go”. After years of “conceal don’t feel”, she finally had to face it. It’s a pretty powerful message. It wasn’t without struggle, but in the process, she learned what she was capable of and found true happiness.
I also love the analogy of the fall leaves on the trees. How beautiful is it to see the change of color and for the leaves to spiral to the ground. It’s inspiring to see the trees “let it go”. I believe there’s a lesson in that as we look at our mountains and they turn from green to golden and bronze. How beautiful it is for us to see this transition before welcoming Winter. The leaves are done, they’ve served their purpose, fed the tree and purified the air we breathe and then they simply fall to the ground. Recycled by the Earth as insulation for overwintering insects and nutrients for the soil. The tree gets to rest through winter and put out new buds in the spring with a fresh start. Wouldn’t that be lovely for all of us, if we could just learn this lesson from the trees. That life’s cycle encourages us to release and rest, revitalize and relish, over and over and over again.
Carla Ann Drummond is the founder of Lake Lure Yoga (www.lakelureyoga.com), where she strives to hold space for peace, healing, breath and to inspire belonging in her community.
