How much energy is spent resisting?
If you ask me, more than I'd like. I can see the effects of resisting so clearly with my son. His whole body becomes rigid, immobile, heated - tears stream and face contorts. I see this also on the faces of new yogis and seasoned yogis alike - I see it on my own face. It happens quickly - an escalation of pressure. Either resistance continues and the torque increases, or there is a break - a surrender, one that is willing or one that is not - the end place is the same, the energy, very different.
In the case of my son, I can teach him to breathe in the moment. Children, as mobile and quick changing as they are can shift from total resistance to happy and clear in a moment. As a parent this is satisfying to witness.
As a teacher, part of me wants to wrap my mama arms around the strugglers and resisters and say, “It’s ok, you can let go.” But, my job as a teacher is to shine the light on where to look, but not what to find. My job is to reveal these stuck places, areas of resistance and ask, invite and encourage a letting go that happens when one is ready.
In my own practice, when I shift from resistance to letting go, I feel relief, a flow of energy that was previously blocked, and I find something that was not there before, freedom. The energy I spent resisting is returned to me. I receive nourishment, softness, peace, calm and renewed spaciousness. When I make the conscious choice to willingly let go, I am rewarded with a pathway towards joy.
May we regard resistance as an invitation to surrender. May misspent energy be returned to us and may we flow in freedom, clarity and joy. May we have the courage to surrender to what is now, to what is true.