Yoga and the Art of Letting Go

Sunrise on a new day in my new apartment.

After 27 years of living on the 27th floor of my building, my number was finally called up. I was offered a bigger apartment on a higher floor. Yes, I'm movin' on up!

I was filled with excitement, and truth-be-told – dread. 

Time to gain a new perspective on life. Yay!

Time for change. Huh?

And time for, uh ... sigh ... letting go.

One of my first yoga teachers many years ago said during class: practice letting go of what is stale, old, and no longer useful.

I think about these words now. They are so relevant with where I am in life right now. Somewhere in the 3rd chapter for sure, and perhaps entering the 4th chapter. During times of significant change, we have an opportunity to pause and ask: what is really important to us right now, and what can we let go of? For sure, many of us asked ourselves such questions in the beginning phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I’ve been asking myself these questions a lot these days, as I unpack and decide what to discard that I don’t need any more. Many years ago, I heard Eckhart Tolle say to Oprah Winfrey:

There is more power in letting go than clinging.

I thought about this today as I unpacked things in my kitchen and was trying to decide whether to hold on to a collection of spices I’d accumulated. As I was looking at each container, I realized I hadn’t used many of these things in a long time so why hold on to them any longer? So, into the garbage they went. I felt lighter. Same with old clothes I was sorting through last week – will I ever use these things again, I asked myself? The answer was “highly unlikely.” So those got tossed into the material recycling bag.

I’ve been intentional about my unpacking. First, I cleared a space on one side of my apartment where there is nothing but what I need – e.g., my bed, rug, space to practice yoga, and so forth. On the other side, I have boxes and bags of things to sort through and either keep, throw, or give away. I have to say, I’m really enjoying the area that is cleared of things other than what I need. And I’m less fond of the area that is full of stuff. And that is motivating me to want to keep creating more area with fewer things and less area with stuff. My apartment is taking on the minimalist feel of an Apple retail store.

Now, for sure, letting go of stuff – be they material things or mental patterns we’ve clung to – is not easy. But what I’m liking about the changes happening in my life right now is that I’m finding I really like the empty spaces, cleared of things. I’m fortunate in that my apartment is on a high floor, so I can see more sky out of my windows. I’m so enjoying just looking at the sky and the clouds. I’m seeing space that I didn’t see before, and it is helping to clear my mind of stuff it’s being bogged down by.

Essentially, with these changes, I’m gravitating more towards spaciousness and further away from clutter. Which brings me to why we practice yoga, which is to be able to experience more space in our mind and heart so that ultimately, we can realize who we really are. Yoga as a practice has guided me to accepting more the letting go parts of life. And it has given me greater clarity about who I really am and what my purpose here on Earth is.

I hope that as you continue practicing yoga and meditation you will find it easier to let go of more stuff. And I hope the spaciousness it produces brings you great clarity and purpose.

May you be happy, …
May you be healthy, …
May you let go of that which is stale, old, and no longer useful, …
May the spaciousness you create for yourself be of great benefit to ALL Beings everywhere. 

Aloha with Metta,
Paul Keoni Chun

Sunset on another day in my new apartment. I'm so grateful to have a new perspective of life.