Throughout the past eight weeks, we’ve explored Practicing Acceptance through simple and concrete means: lying down in constructive rest. The simplicity of this practice is what makes it so beautiful to me. It’s just lying down with a bit of awareness, but what happens between the beginning of the lie-down and the end is almost always a pleasant experience. Sometimes, it is profound. Sometimes, you take a nap.
During constructive rest, we meet ourselves on the floor. We pause. We observe. We breathe. Perhaps a new idea sparks some freedom. We might find a release of tension, we may gain a fresh perspective. At the very least, when it’s over, we’ve given our spines a chance to decompress for a few moments of the day.
When we practice acceptance, we are allowing conditions to be what they are, without judgment, and without trying to change them directly. We release our need to control, our need to “get it right.” We practice letting go.
Sometimes letting go feels impossible to me. My urge to control things is a well-practiced habit that I often contend with, especially in times of change and uncertainty. At this point in my life, I’ve learned that the harder I work to control a situation, the more miserable I become, and the more miserable I make others. When I catch myself in this pattern, I typically try to lie down as soon as possible in order to let go of whatever tension I’ve been holding onto. When I make the choice to pause and rest, I’m more able to accept the moment for what it is, and move forward from there with more clarity. A little time in constructive rest interrupts my habitual reactions, and gives me time to connect with myself. Funnily enough, letting go brings me more connection and control than my habits ever do.
We hope that these lie-downs have been helpful and enjoyable to you over the past eight weeks. We’ll take a short break after this week, and look forward to returning to your inboxes soon. Thank you for making us part of your day!
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