Embracing the Flow :: Living Uninhibitedly

We waste so much time worrying about what others think of us. And it really is a waste of time: first of all, they're likely not thinking about us much at all and secondly, we're unlikely going to be able to change their opinions of us if they are giving us much attention. Self-evaluation based on other people's opinions of us propels us into a state of inhibition and fear. We mask who we really are to conform because of the fear of rejection. "To be alive is the biggest fear humans have. Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive -- the risk to be alive and express what we really are. Just being ourselves is the biggest fear of humans. We have learned to live our lives trying to satisfy other people's demands. We have learned to live by other people's points of view because of the fear of not being accepted and not being good enough for someone else."*

Letting go of inhibition and self-evaluation based on others is essential to embracing the flow and cultivating a joyful life. The studio is such an incredibly safe place to practice dropping inhibition. Getting onto your mat and embracing the flow requires us to let go of both physical and mental rigidity. We have to let go of a little self-control simply to move freely in the flow—when we do this, the asana start to flow through us like a dance

In the modern Western world, we've let go of ritual dance, but uninhibited movement has long been essential for human connection and celebration. This movement releases stagnant energy, connects us to the systems of the body and connects us in a flow with those around us. In a very safe way, our Asana practice re-creates this ritual dance. This is actually my favorite thing about teaching Groove Yoga Flow (a dance-like Asana flow with loud modern music), I get to watch the transformation as people drop their inhibition, move freely and joyfully and often with giant smiles on their faces.

So we come to the mat and we practice moving freely without judgment of ourselves or others, we move stagnant energy around and we engage in our own bodies without inhibition. If we do this often enough, it is inevitable that we will take this lack of inhibition off of the mat with us. This is why we call it a practice. It's a place to safely practice embracing the flow and living without inhibition.

It's always a practice and a work in progress to let go of what we believe others think of us, but like fear, we can release it. Releasing the fear of rejection, moving freely, and living without inhibition are essential to embracing the flow: invite song, dance, movement and freedom into your life and practice letting go. Dance like no one's watching because they probably aren't.

Namaste

*The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz