About a week ago, I returned from running my first Icelandic Yoga Retreat-Experience the Midnight Sun! It was a fantastic week, filled with lots of yoga, waterfalls, lava flows, windy beaches, and Icelandic horseback riding. We were fortunate to have a group that jelled and were fun and supportive of each other throughout the week. It was magical…once we all got there! To begin with, my husband and I had a five-hour layover in the ginormous Dallas/Fort Worth airport, only then to be delayed by three hours. I stood looking out the terminal window as the lightning struck the ground and with a sickly feeling in my gut of, “oh…this doesn’t look good”.
The delay in our arrival meant that we would miss the first half of the first day…a foodie walking tour. As the instructor/leader of the group, I began to feel anxious at the prospect of not being there from the beginning. I began to text my contacts, figuring out the next steps of arranging new transport from the airport and catching up with the group. Once we arrived in Iceland, we hit the ground running, grabbing a pricey taxi to the hotel, dumping our bags and connecting for the final two stops of the walking tour. We arrived…finally…safe and sound, albeit a bit harried.
Unfortunately, another retreater was delayed with a flight cancellation and missed the first day altogether. At the end of our morning yoga practice on the second day, we would be picking her up at the airport on our way to the tour for the day. I suggested that we offer her a big, loving welcome upon meeting. As we found her at the airport, I slid open the doors of the van, jumped out and yelled, “Welcome!” as I gave her a big hug. At the end of the week, she said that this was one of her highlights of the retreat!
The point of these two stories is about letting go of what we can’t control. Both of our delays were due to bad weather. Nobody’s fault. And, it’s about recognizing that our yoga practice really begins once we step away from the mat. What we do in our regular practice is to reinforce and build resiliency so that when life throws us a curve, we are able to steady ourselves sooner rather than later. All of us could have stayed angry at what happened, but instead, the practice showed up. I definitely felt strong emotions of anger and frustration, contributing to being anxious and nervous. As I recognized and felt these sensations in my body, I was able to respond by walking around the airport, laying down and listening to music creating a new playlist, stretching and meditating. Many deep breaths and giving myself permission to let go were also part of the process. It was vital that I personally let go of the more negative energy as to not carry that forward into the retreat once we actually arrived.
It was also interesting to simply people-watch at the airport. We had yet another short delay on our way back to Palm Springs from Dallas/Fort Worth and as I sat waiting for things to get moving, it was fascinating to see how people were responding to things not happening at the time/pace they wanted. It was as though you could see those who had some sort of practice of being present and those who perhaps didn’t. Agitation only seemed to accelerate the discontent and, as a yoga teacher, I thought that these moments, although they challenge us, are the perfect moments to practice letting go.
Our practice begins once we leave the mat or meditation cushion. It helps us to be consistent, building a stronger connection for when life isn’t going the way we want it to be. And all of us have had those experiences of being delayed and having to change course, so in some ways, your practice can only get stronger and stronger as life will undoubtedly show up in unexpected ways.
Take a deep breath. Get centered and enjoy whatever the present moment has to offer. That’s it…that’s all there is!
