ANUGRAHA Opening to a greater force

It is very easy to fall in the trap of overdoing so as to make things happen. I tend to overload myself and so much suffering comes when I attempt to control outcomes, relationships, time.

Paradoxically the harder I try, the less it unfolds as I want. My body feels stiff, very heavy and compacted.

But when I actively release the grip of control, and I allow the unfolding of life while interfering just enough, things flow and living feels lighter and more connected. My body expands, my feet widen and my gaze softens.

But how to let go of the trance of control? By recognizing it and choosing something different.

A year ago, I was sharing with two beloved friends of mine how challenging I was finding to sit in Meditation for long periods of time. And they said “well, perhaps that’s not what you need right now”. And they recommended me to meditate lying down on the floor.

It worked.

Sometimes we get in our own way, trying too hard for things to happen in a particular direction. After a couple of months of meditating while lying on my back, I returned to meditating in seating, and it felt very natural.

Anugraha is a sanskrit word that can have different meanings, depending on the tradition. Is often translated as “Grace” or “Blessing” or “flowing with”.

Opening to a greater force and allowing something larger to hold us, is a practice of Presence, “of being with”, a practice of listening. But when we’re gripping too hard into an idea, Presence is lost and we’re caught up either in the future or in the past.

Yoga, somatic practices, dancing, being in nature, sharing in authentic and safe community spaces, encourage us to actively practice openness, connection, receptivity, expansion. All practices that help us to catch ourselves sooner, before we get trapped by the trance of control.