October is my favorite time of year. Growing up in Pennsylvania, I have many memories of the amazing display of spectacular colors of the trees along the Allegheny River. Here in Southern California, the seasons are not so pronounced. We only have a few maple trees on our street to remind me that it is again time to let go and accept that change is indeed on its’ way.

The one thing that has remained constant over the years is my love for the Let it Go Yoga series. I thank my teachers who taught me that the true gains of yoga were found in personal practice. I was encouraged to take what I learned in class and do the Let It Go Yoga postures on my own at home. It was hard at first, as I had to trust myself enough to practice without my teacher. I can remember placing my yoga blanket on the floor (This was even before yoga mats!) in my living room and walking over it several times before finding the courage to lie down and begin. Yet, somehow I decided to give it a try. I would start in Savasana… I could usually talk myself into lying down! From there, I started to work on my breathing and to my surprise I just began to do the poses that I could remember. It was the start of my true yoga journey.

Ever since that first attempt, Let It Go Yoga has been a faithful friend, with me whenever I needed to feel better through the ups and downs of life. Let It Go Yoga encouraged me and at times has frustrated me to no end. My Let It Go Yoga practice these days looks very different than it used to. You see, there has been times in my life when this practice has been very difficult and painful. Sometimes emotionally painful, sometimes physically challenging, and sometimes just hard on my ego! Back in my youth, I thought that after years of practicing yoga I would be super flexible, probably ready for the cover of Yoga Journal! Yet that has not been the case. Practicing Let It Go Yoga as I grow older has taught me that I need to adapt and change my practice to accommodate my changing body. To continue my practice, I have had to discover and invent variations to adjust to arthritis in my hips and my sometimes cranky knees. My Happy Baby pose needs a a yoga strap to do anything that resembles happy!

So why would anyone be inspired to learn a practice that may not bring you the perfect body or everlasting youth? Well for me, I have found that a personal Let It Go Yoga practice gave me so much more than what it looks like from the outside. Even though I have practiced the same poses for all these years, I always learn new things about myself! I feel grateful that I have a practice where I can lie down, move around, breath deeply and get out of my judgmental, stressed out state of mind. From that place I can be still and access some of the inner wisdom that I have acquired along the way. Practicing Let It Go Yoga on my own has given me a tool to work on understanding and accepting myself. Having a personal practice has taught me the discipline needed to keep going and difference between giving up and path of least resistance. Life continues to teach me about letting go, accepting change and trusting the process.

Yoga is meant to be a personal practice. When you practice on your own, you are your own teacher. You have to trust yourself and your body to know when you need to hold on and when you need to let go. This is an empowering experience of self-awareness. The more you tune in to your own body signals, the better you become in determining your own needs. The Let It Go Yoga series is easy to learn and can be the start of your personal journey. Turn off the video, start in Savasana, take some deep breaths and begin. Do whatever poses you can remember. Whatever you do on right side, do on the left!

Like the leaves that are turning color and falling from the trees, life is full of colorful change and continuous lessons on letting it go. As I marvel at the beauty of the changing seasons, I feel inspired to share this most important message with my students, the gift that this very personal practice has given me. If you haven’t already, I invite you to lie down and give it try.

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

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