It’s amazing how embarrassed we feel when we simply trip and fall while walking down the street or up a flight of stairs. I’m not sure if it’s the shock of the fall – the fact that we are “supposed” to know how to walk and therefore, are not supposed to fall, or how it jars us into the present moment – but time and time again when I see others fall or experience falling first-hand, embarrassment follows. When did falling become taboo? When did that self-consciousness creep in? When we were babies we fell all the time – and we simply picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off and started all over again. If a baby got stuck thinking about the fall from two minutes ago, he would probably never get up again.

Even in our yoga practice there is some kind of stigma or judgment about falling out of a pose. It translates into frustration or feelings of not having a strong enough practice. Our yoga practice encourages living in the moment fully, being fully present, letting go, and yet in the asanas we feel this need to hold the poses. And that need reveals itself in our daily lives as well, as we try to hang onto to those beautiful, happy, exciting or even frustrating moments. Inevitably we have to let those moments fall away so that we can move forward to the next.

Patanjali tells us in the sutras that our asanas are “steady and comfortable postures”– not rigid or held. Where is the comfort or ease in locking the knees, clenching the jaw, and holding the breath while in Tree Pose? The natural tendency of the breath is to rise and fall. As you explore this feeling, see if you can allow your movements to grow out of that rhythm – falling into and falling out of the poses. Notice where you’re holding the poses and see if you can let them breathe and have life. Play around with your edges – uncovering the asanas a little more deeply – seeing just where your edges lie. Maybe you’ll fall (a happy mistake!). Notice your thoughts and feelings and simply let go and re-pose. Explore how letting go on the mat can sift into the daily fabric of your life, and maybe find moments in your day to day life that you can let breathe. Encourage feelings of delight, excitement and curiosity to fill those unknown moments, rather than trying to control the outcome. By being flexible and willing to fall, you can welcome each moment as it unfolds.

Resources – Books

Light on Yoga – B.K.S Iyengar
The Heart of Yoga –T.K.V. Desikachar
A Path with Heart – Jack Kornfield
The Goddess Companion – Patricia Monaghan
Meditations from the Mat – Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sri Swami Satchidananda translation
Yoga, the Poetry of the Body – Rodney Yee with Nina Zolotow
Poetry of Mary Oliver, Rumi, Hafiz
Books by Pema Chodron and Thich Nhat Hanh