Yoga is a rich, fertile ground for exploring our own inner realms. A theme I used in a recent yin yoga & restorative class was the nature of impermanence. The yoga texts delve into this subject matter in detail. I simply focused on the highlights.
Impermanence is the concept that everything changes; nothing remains the same. The seasons, relationships, health, youth, financial circumstances, emotions - they all can and will change. Some slowly - some abruptly.
How can we keep our equanimity ( even-ness of mind) in the face of such uncertainty? Try as we might to hold onto the status quo, change will happen, and we could lose our happiness and peace of mind along with it.
I can’t take credit for the story below. I shared it during my yin & restorative class, and it sparked an interesting dialogue. The tale can be found in the book, Brightening Our Inner Skies Yin And Yoga, by Norman Blair and it is credited to S N Goenka.
A rich man died leaving two sons They decided to separate , dividing all the properties between themselves 50/50. After all the matters relating to the properties were settled, the two brothers came across a small packet carefully hidden by their father. The packet contained two rings - one was an expensive diamond ring and the other was an ordinary silver ring costing only a few rupees.
Seeing the diamond ring the elder brother developed greed and desired the ring for himself. He explained to the younger brother, “This packet is obviously a family heirloom and not part of the joint family property. Our father evidently desired the diamond ring to be passed down from generation to generation and stay within the family. Being the elder brother I will take the diamond ring. You had better take the silver one.” The younger brother smiled and agreed.
The younger brother was curious as to why the father had preserved the silver ring, which had very little value. He took out the ring and examined it. On the ring were written the words ‘This too will pass.’ The younger brother said, “Oh this was the motto of my father: ‘This too will pass.’” He placed the ring on his finger.
Time passed. Both brothers went through the ups and downs of life. The elder brother used to get delighted when spring came and he was prosperous. He lost his balance and developed greed and attachment. When the good phase went away and winter approached he became highly anxious. He needed medication to be able to sleep. When that did not help he completely lost his balance.
The younger brother when spring came, enjoyed it but remembered his father’s motto: ‘This too will pass.’ He did not get attached to his circumstances but enjoyed them while they lasted. When spring passed he said to himself, “It was inevitably going to pass and now it has done so. So what?” Similarly, when winter approached and the circumstances became bad he did not become agitated but remembered ‘This too will pass.’ Thus he was able to preserve his sense of balance through all the ups and downs of life and lived happily.
In addition to the above affirmation, ‘This too will pass’, practices such as yoga and meditation allow us space to observe shifts/changes as they occur. Fleeting thoughts arise and dissipate during meditations. A delicious achiness in the hip joint may appear during a long help yoga posture only to fade away after a minute or two (or more). Allowing our minds to experience and recognize the nature of impermanence may lessen the initial panic, despair, or surprise as our circumstances continue to change and evolve through our lives.
I would welcome any questions you may have about how yoga, meditation, and mindfulness can help with the stress and pressure of change, feel free to contact me.