Editor’s Note: This is a guest post series entitled “Living Your Dream Life” by yoga teacher and life coach Laura Erdman-Luntz. This is the final article, 4 in a series of 4.
Living Your Dream Life Series by Laura Erdman-Luntz
- Article 1: You Can Live Your Dream Life
- Article 2: Manifesting – Personal Strength: It is All in the Feet
- Article 3: Manifesting – Bringing the Dream in
- Article 4: Manifesting: Through Yoga, Surrender with Gratitude to the Present
Marya in standing forward fold
It is time for the final step in our manifesting process: Surrender or letting go, with trust and gratitude. If you are to realize your dreams with the help of the Universe, you need to give the Universe space to work. Intriguing thought, isn’t it? We aren’t giving the Universe space for its magic when we are panicked or “trying” too hard, attempting to control all possible outcomes. (We all know control is an illusion anyway!)
But it can be difficult to let go in an area of our life in which we are not happy and may even feel fear. We often feel the control we exert keeps us from falling apart or losing everything or going off the deep end. Ironically, this control actually keeps what we want from coming in. Surrendering means letting go of this control and having faith that something bigger than you will be holding the safety net underneath you.
How can we cultivate this faith? As I mentioned in my previous posts, we can use yoga to help us change our energy. Even when we are afraid and using control to “hold it together”, yoga can help us relax and cultivate the surrender we need. Forward folds will help us. Forward folds are about the present, letting go of resistance to open ourselves up to the present we have right now.
While any forward fold is useful, I love Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold) and Balasana (Child’s Pose) best for surrender. Uttanasana is fabulous because it starts from Tadasana (Mountain Pose), a pose of strength and confidence. Folding from a place of strength helps us connect surrender with strength rather than weakness. The surrender we are talking about comes from strength. It takes great strength to let go of control and to trust. Surrender from weakness comes from giving up, not feeling confident enough to be up to the task.
I like to do Uttanasana with a block between my thighs to make my pose even stronger. I begin in Tadasana with the block, engaging my inner thighs. I also make sure my feet are strong and engaged so my heart opens effortlessly. Then I fold into the pose, maintaining the strength in my legs. (You can see a video description of what I am talking about here.) Once in the fold, breathe and feel the calm.
Balasana is also a fabulous surrender pose. As I discussed in Part 3 of this series, we are primal beings and as such have primitive instincts. In Part 3 we used this knowledge to face fear to create courage. In this part, we want to create a feeling of great safety so trust and surrender are engendered. In Balasana we are protecting the main kill zone (throat) so it feels very safe and calming to be in the pose – safe enough to let go.
Now you have the strength to overcome inertial, the openness to believe in a new, bigger life, and now, with letting go, you dream can come to you!
Join Laura Erdman-Luntz, MA, E-RYT(500), Life Coach for a powerful teleclass. Ignite Your Life will launch you into the life of your dreams, into more joy and vibrancy. Incorporating a workbook, yoga, visualization, and breathing exercises into the coaching format, this program is a powerful way to change your life! On July 2, from 11:30-12:30 you can join her for a FREE Introduction to the program. Then join her for a four-part series in July or August that is pay what you can. Register for the FREE class or either series here. (http://muselan.typepad.com/studieswithlaura/ignite-your-life-1.html)
(Note: If you enjoyed this series, Laura is teaching a 4-part teleclass on Ignite Your Life that is pay what you can…really! Let’s get feeling better!)
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I love this post. I never thought about folding forward from a place of strength, but it’s so true. I can’t wait to get into Uttanasana now! Thank you!!
Kat Rogers´s last blog ..Read it again and again. Read it slow. It’s sweet!