Now that you have begun to clear the clutter in your physical space and kicked negativity to the curb, a few thoughts may begin to bubble up. Questions on how to best use this new found space arise along with a yearning to hang on to the new sense of clarity in my life. Not surprisingly, I find a renewed commitment to practices that help me to be more conscious of how I use my time and energy.
The practices of choice in this neck of the woods are yoga and meditation.
If you have experienced the potential power of the mat or cushion (which is probably why you are here), you know it can change your perspective, embody your awareness and even shift your mood. Both yoga and meditation teach us how to deal with discomfort without running from the room. These practices allow us the opportunity to participate in our own expansion.
If you find the secret heart of yoga and meditation, you will also learn how to let go of effort. My friend, international mediation teacher Jeff Carreira was the first person who explained this idea to me in a way that struck a chord. He took meditation, a practice I once thought of as stuffy and stagnant and shaped it in a way that made it an exciting exploration full of possibility.
Today I want to share with you Jeff's beautiful perspective (which just happens to be one of the themes in our upcoming Urban Retreat on May 9th in Waterdown, Ontario) along with a guided meditation to inspire you.
Learning to Let Go of Effort by Jeff Carreira
We’ve all been taught the value of effort. “No pain, no gain.” Those of us who are
serious practitioners probably think that the gains we have made have come through hard work and lots of effort. It doesn’t matter if we are practicing yoga, meditation, piano or weight training; if we are serious about what we do we probably work very hard at it. Hard work is an essential ingredient for development, but there are forms of effort that actually hold our practice back. I have heard this form of effort referred to as ‘efforting.’
Effort is the energy and consistency that it takes to develop in our practice. Making effort allows us to move past our current limitations into new vistas of possibility.
We have all developed a strong habit of striving. We have been raised in a culture that is fundamentally fueled by a sense of lack. We are habitually unsatisfied with the way things are and working to make them better. We have been trained to assume that wherever we are is ‘not it’ and that ‘it’ is out there somewhere in the future.
Many of us are afraid to relax into the way things are because we feel that we will lose our motivation and drive and become complacent. Is it true that only deficiency can motivate us?
It is true that making effort is essential to our practice. It is also true that letting go of making effort is also essential. Most of us are better at making effort than letting go of effort. We hold on to effort long beyond the point that it is doing us any good. This kind of effort starts to erode our practice and slow us down. It becomes wasted
effort, or efforting.
Letting go of effort doesn’t mean giving up. It means having the wisdom to see and appreciate where you have arrived and letting go of the effort it took to get there. It is like rowing a boat across a lake and continuing to row even after your boat has hit the other shore. Rowing is no longer going to help you. You have arrived at the other
shore and now it is time to put down the paddle, get out of the boat and walk. By learning when and how to let go of effort you liberate yourself to make effort toward the next horizon.
In our habit of striving we only recognizes the value of making effort. We miss the profound value of letting go of effort. If we don’t appropriately let go of effort when it no longer serves we may end up continuing to work hard in ways that are no longer benefiting us. The phrase “No pain, no gain” may be true, but that doesn’t mean that all pain gives gain. Learning when to let go of effort is as important as making effort.
Jeff Carreira teaches meditation and philosophy. He has written several books and works both in person and virtually with thousands of people throughout the world. He is also a teacher trainer and offers consulting support to those whose life mission is to educate for humanities future.