Labor of Change

"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies."  ~Author Unknown

Labor Day marks the symbolic end of summer. The long, hot, lazy days of summer are coming to an end and the days are growing shorter and cooler. The seasons are changing! Change for most people leads to unwanted and unnecessary suffering. In the yoga sutras, one of the five afflictions is attachment (the other four are ignorance, ego, aversion, and fear - but that's another post).  Our attachment or clinging to the way things are or the way we think things should be and not wanting them to change leads to suffering. Yoga teaches us to deal with the inevitable changes of life in two ways; by changing our perspective and letting go.

Autumn is the time to let go! We see it in nature as the trees let go of their leaves and they wither, die and fall to the ground. This time of year is an opportunity for us to also shed our own metaphorical leaves, such as unwanted baggage - physical, mental, or emotional. By letting go of old feelings, beliefs, and attachments, we can create space to grow new wisdom within ourselves and new opportunities in life. When we shed our old point of views, we allow for a fresh perspective. When we are stuck in our own ideas of how things should be, we aren't open to receiving new ones. We can't stop change or even change how things are, but we can change how we are, in other words our reactions.

These seasonal changes in nature are a reminder for us to evaluate change within ourselves and in our own lives. So this fall, in addition to taking in lots of football and pumpkin lattes, take this opportunity to re-evaluate where you are holding on in your own life and let go!