How do you handle change? As cancer survivors, we’ve sure had to traverse a lot of change, and much of it is not the good-change variety. Obviously some changes are easier to stomach than others. Changes like getting a new job, a best friend moving away, going through menopause, or kids growing up and leaving the house, can be challenging for sure. But changes like loss of a loved one, permanent side effects from cancer treatment, or a diagnosis of incurable disease, are quite different beasts. But one way or another, we ALL face some such changes every day, from the small ones to the really big, seemingly insurmountable ones, and everything in between. As Buddha says, change is unavoidable. So we might as well figure out how to maneuver through it.
But let’s face it, change is hard. Change, almost by definition, pushes us out of our comfort zone. Change can make us feel unstable, out of control, helpless, and afraid. And this fear of the unknown, this clinging to the familiar, and this need for things to stay a certain way, can really be overwhelming and wreck our sense of well-being and our happiness. They can create persistent tension in the body that is not only painful, but unhealthy. And they can prevent us from finding the joy and love that is still all around us, even in the midst of some of the most difficult change. Unless… we don’t let them.
One of the many things I love about yoga is how it teaches us to be adaptable, to calmly BE in a constantly changing environment, to accept each new moment with openness and curiosity, and to trust ourselves to be able to manage it (and if we can’t manage it, we can always sit down and take a break!). This is especially true in vinyasa or flow style practices, in which the sequence of poses is completely different every day, so we have no idea what to expect when we arrive to our mat. This trains us to arrive to each moment without specific expectations or desires, getting out of that habit of needing things to BE a certain way for us to feel good or to enjoy the moment. Of course we all have our favorite pose, favorite teacher, or favorite style. Not to mention our least favorites 😉 But we still come to practice, not knowing whether our favorite will be featured that day. And every time we get on our mat, we teach ourselves to more easily move through this constantly changing environment with ease, to pivot and adjust our footing when needed, to re-connect to our breath and our balance moment to moment, and to calmly and openly accept each next pose as it comes.
In addition to the physical practice of yoga asana simply exposing us to changing postures and sequences each day to cultivate adaptability, yoga philosophy and mindfulness also teach us adaptability through the yamas/niyamas and the mindful attitudes (which overlap in huge ways). For example aparigraha, or non-attachment, teaches us to let go of our attachment to things, to things being a certain way today, or to things unfolding in a certain way in the future. In this way non-attachment helps us find freedom and joy in each moment, regardless of whether it contains all of the specific elements we would have preferred. Similarly, the mindful attitude of letting go helps us navigate change by training us to let go of our tendency to want to control everything in our lives (which of course we can’t do even if we wanted to). Letting go reminds us of how much unnecessary struggle, tension, and suffering come from that tendency to try to exert control on our ever-changing world. Letting go can create a tremendous sense of ease and relaxation, once we learn to release all of that struggle and just address each moment as it presents itself. And finally, cultivating the mindful attitude of trust helps us find comfort in trusting our own ability to navigate whatever challenges arise, OR in trusting in a higher power or divine presence IF you are so inclined.
In all of these ways, yoga and yoga philosophy can have a profound effect on our ability to move through this ever-changing world with more adaptability and more ease. And by doing so, we connect with our happiness and our freedom.
Keep practicing!
Namaste