One of my favorite moments during my yoga classes these days is when everyone is in the final resting pose of “savasana” (the one sanskrit word we all know so well!) and I say “if you are holding on to any stress or anxiety just let it slip out your fingertips…even if it’s just in your imagination”.

When I was first taking yoga my instructor Donny would say similar words that I thought was a little wacko-cheeseball, until I considered that I might be holding a wee bit of stress and anxiety in my body too.  Donny would say to let it slip out your ears (which still sounds weird to me) and  I could feel myself deflate a little bit, and very often feel a tear or two slipping down my face and over my ears.  Maybe that’s what he meant by slip out your ears.

So, I say to let it slip out your fingertips because it sounds more natural to me.  And when I look across the room I can see a few people ever so gently extending their fingers, practicing letting go, even if it’s just in their imagination.  I think Donny was right all along.  There is something to practicing letting go, even if you’re pretending it is slipping out your ears or your fingertips.  You have to start somewhere.  And if it’s not going to start in your imagination, how will you ever start?

Here’s one last plug for the Daily Bread Yoga retreat this weekend.  You can practice a few things, in your imagination.  It’s this Saturday, 9a.m.-noon at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church on Philo Rd in Urbana, next to Meijer.  Bring a bottle of water and a yoga mat (if you don’t have a mat, you can borrow one of mine).  If you have questions or concerns you can reply to me on this site or email me at rachelbguennewig@gmail.com

peace on your head.