“Suffering is the desire for things to stay the same“- Buddha

Labor day, the unofficial/official end of summer. The qualities of summer are easy to get comfortable in, especially if you live in a place that is not warm all year round, but we know that it must come to an end and carry on the cycle of the seasons.  As it is always sad to see the summer come to a close, the excitement of autumn helps to keep us moving.  When endings approach they may bring about feelings of avoidance, sadness, discomfort, or annoyance.  But with endings come new beginnings and change.

As humans we tend to avoid change, we get caught up in the comfort of the way things are.  As soon as we sense an ending or change we tend to have feelings of discomfort and will do anything to avoid it.  One common thread that is within all schools of yoga is the understanding of impermanence.  Yoga teaches us that everything is temporary, our bodies, sentient beings and manifestations.  The more we cling to our bodies, environments, and circumstances the more we invite in disappointment and frustration.  We are courting suffering.  Impermanence is a universal truth and just like the seasons, things in life come and go, the more we accept the inevitable cycle of life, the more we can accept the closures in our own life.

In most times of physical activity whether it be yoga, swimming, running, or lifting, we can’t wait for it to be over.  We end a yoga practice or workout with a sense of happiness and accomplishment.  As it is easy to embrace the end of a pose or happily accept the end of class by taking savasana, let the happiness we find in endings on the mat teach us to acknowledge, accept, and embrace the endings in our lives.

With the acknowledgment and acceptance of endings you release the self from suffering and allow your self to live more fully in the moment, embracing every part of the cycle- beginning, middle, end, and transition in the new.  As a result, you free yourself from suffering and allow yourself to be full of peace and happiness