What does that even mean?

When I first contemplated doing nothing, I was in a Let It Go Yoga class. The teacher would have the class come into a pose and then instruct us to do just that… nothing! To just be…

We would argue and debate that it was impossible to do nothing, that even when we were lying in Savasana we were still doing something. We were lying down, we were breathing, we were thinking! But he would just laugh and insist that we practice “the art of doing nothing” while we were holding the yoga pose.

As I was trying to figure out what he meant, I started to understand that there was a lot of doing I could let go of! Slowly, I realized that I could hold the pose and let go of the effort and just relax into it. I could let go of my ego and stop trying to push or force myself into a better pose. I could let go of my constant judging and comparing my postures with those of the other students. I could quiet my mind and let go of needless thoughts. Little by little I learned to let go and surrender. To stop doing and start being! I learned to allow my body to be where it happened to be that day. I really could do nothing while holding a yoga pose, I could let go of the thoughts and stresses of the day and just observe what was happening in the moment.

Want to know more about Let It Go Yoga? Click here to view your free Diaphragmatic Breathing Video!

Funny thing was, there was always something that happened in that space of nothing!  When I stopped doing, it didn’t mean nothing happened. For me, it was as if a door had opened and I experienced a new perspective on how I approached my life. I was opening to a world of possibilities that I had been missing. I experienced how in that state of nothingness answers to my daily problems came naturally. My body would instinctively release tension and I became more flexible. My thoughts slowed way down and my mind was calmer. There was room to grow. More room for joy! I learned in this state of BEing instead of DOing that I was enough. I didn’t have to do anything to be good enough. There truly was nothing to do… I was already there, there was no goal. I learned to enjoy the journey.

Yet, in my daily life I still had a belief that if I were doing nothing I was wasting my time. There were so many lists of things to do. Slowly I began to recognize that there was a part of me that needed to be doing in order to avoid looking at myself in a deeper way. Checking off that “to do” list gave me a false sense of being in control. Having had this mystical experience during Let It Go Yoga I began to look for ways that I could practice doing nothing off the yoga mat. In stressful situations I began to explore ways where I could relax a little more. I began to allow events to unfold on their own. I began to trust myself more and trust the process of life more fully. I found that there was plenty of time to get things accomplished, that pushing and worrying didn’t work. There’s a old Zen saying “don’t push the river” but I must say it takes a lots of practice and patience not want to help it along. It’s not easy doing nothing! It takes an open mind to wrap your head around the concept and it takes lots of practice to experience it. And even after many years of practice I can’t say that I can do nothing all of the time. But many times when I have done all that I can, I remember my Let It Go Yoga practice and apply the lessons. If I can take a deep breath, take a step back from the situation, know that I have done enough, let go of the expectation and do nothing,  the most marvelous solutions miraculously appear.

The Let It Go Yoga practice is unique in that you lie down to practice, you hold the postures for a few minutes each, you close you eyes and go inward. Let It Go Yoga gives you the opportunity to reach this state of being. This practice has helped hundreds of students apply the “art of doing nothing”. Let It Go Yoga is the perfect guide that can help you let go of the notion that you are human in need of doing or proving something. You will begin to experience the wonderful realization that you are enough, just as you are… a human-being! If you are willing to lie down and give it a try you will be surprised how Let It Go Yoga can help you experience how just how powerful the “art of doing nothing” can be.

Sue Anne Parsons 500 EYT, CYT – owner of Let It Go Yoga since 1986

Want to know more about Let It Go Yoga? Click here to view your free Diaphragmatic Breathing Video!