I stared intently at a couple of lines in a poem that one of my students printed out for me on thick, off-white, glossy paper, strung from a piece of tweed that was latched carefully to a partial wooden frame covering just the top edge.
How did I miss this before?
I read a Safire Rose poem quietly at the end of an evening yoga class months ago. One of my students who also happens to be a legislator, came up to me after a lengthy Savasana and locked eyes with me. Her gaze was deep and soft as she looked into my eyes, smiling and said, “I love that poem. I have it hanging in my home. I am going to make one for you.”
She brought me the poem a week later, in which I received with a lot of joy. I love receiving gifts from students. It makes me feel like the work that I love so very much is really touching the hearts of others.
She let go.
She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.
She let go of the fear.
She let go of the judgments.
She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head.
She let go of the committee of indecision within her.
She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons.
Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.
She didn’t ask anyone for advice.
She didn’t read a book on how to let go.
She didn’t search the scriptures.
She just let go.
She let go of all of the memories that held her back.
She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.
She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.
She didn’t promise to let go.
She didn’t journal about it.
She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer.
She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper.
She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.
She just let go.
She didn’t analyze whether she should let go.
She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter.
She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment.
She didn’t call the prayer line.
She didn’t utter one word.
She just let go.
No one was around when it happened.
There was no applause or congratulations.
No one thanked her or praised her.
No one noticed a thing.
Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.
There was no effort.
There was no struggle.
It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad.
It was what it was, and it is just that.
In the space of letting go, she let it all be.
A small smile came over her face.
A light breeze blew through her.
And the sun and the moon shone forevermore… ~Safire Rose
I’ve read this poem many times in class over the last 10 years. I’ve cried with resonance countless times while reading it and so have a few of my students.
What is interesting to me is that despite my reading this so many times, I somehow subconsciously missed these lines.
She didn’t ask anyone for advice
She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter
I wasn’t ready for this lesson yet. Sure, I read it… but it didn’t sink in until now. I wasn’t ready to let go completely. I am slowly getting there now.
I have been asking others for their opinions and advice for what I should do and how I should handle my life for years. Anytime I have heart ache, I reach out to others. Sure, I meditate to seek the wisdom of the Universe, but until recently, I have been ignoring some of my Higher Self Wisdom and choosing the wisdom of others about 50% or more of the time.
The moments I have made the choice to trust MY GUT have been instrumental in my becoming a mother to an incredibly healthy, talented, and bright star of a child AND creating my passion fueled business. The moments I ignored other people’s judgements about my decision to travel far and wide and create a remote lifestyle were some of the best decisions I have ever made for MY LIFE. I knew my daughter was on her way 6 months before she came to be. The details surrounding how she came to be were strange and not what I expected, AND she is the biggest blessing in my life. I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I knew these things were coming to pass for the betterment of my God given Path and it did not need to make sense for anyone else but me. I had a lot of people disagree and judge my choices along the way, but I didn’t let that stop me from blossoming in my own way.
We all have a unique Path that the Universe has laid out for us. When we follow our JOY and GUT INSTINTS we are on the RIGHT COURSE.
It’s really, really GOOD to have a support system. We all need that, and it’s also good to recognize and discern between opinions and your inner TRUTH.
Letting go of other’s opinions about YOUR RIGHT CHOICE will be a process. Even if their choices took them to a great place, it may not be the right choice for your next step. Every moment is an opportunity to grow, learn, and excel towards manifesting your dreams.It will take A LOT of Courage, Trust in YOURSELF & The Universe. It’s not a straight or linear process in my experience. It just happens when we are ready and there is no way to calculate that.
Being in the Present Moment is how we begin to Let Go. It is a personal process. It’s the WAY to BEING HAPPY AND CONTENT IN THIS MOMENT WHILE MANIFESTING YOUR MOST HEART CENTERED DREAM LIFE.
How do you resonate with this poem? What lines stick out to you?
Author: Alana Roach, Founder of Explorations of Self, LLC. Happy Mama!! Digital Nomad, Writer, Yogini & Yoga Teacher, Yoga+Surf+Meditation Retreat Leader, Social Media Artist & Copy Writer. In Alana’s free time you can catch her lounging in hammocks or paddling in the water with her little girl!!!
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Alana’s love for yoga came from firsthand experience with just how powerful the practice is. “In 2009, Yoga found me. Inside the studio, she experienced a deep sense of belonging, but the most profound part was what happened after. “I felt as though I was at true peace. I finally knew what the word meant. Until that moment, I had just understood it cerebrally. There is something profound to be said about Peace dropping into the heart.”