Unpopular opinion: the grass might actually be greener on the other side, and it may be worth it to check it out

Hang with me for a second while we unpack how grass, lawns, yoga, sound healing, and therapy are all connected (yes, really). If you’re already feeling overwhelmed by the wall of text in front of you (listen, with two months in between newsletters, you’re getting some jam-packed, really simmered on thoughts here), let me simplify it for you up front with three main takeaways:

1. It’s worth exploring new opportunities, relationships, ventures, and the like, even if it’s just to figure out what doesn’t work for you. If you don’t, you might end up stuck on your little patch of lawn, obsessively watering dying grass. Meanwhile, there’s a chemical spill just out of sight that’s killing it off anyway, and your affordable dream home with thriving, nutrient-rich soil is sitting empty down the street.

2. It’s also worth it to stay and invest in the opportunities, relationships, and ventures that mutually fill your cup. When the soil’s rich, the sun is just right, and you’re not the only one doing the watering, it’s worth investing in. Healthy lawns don’t grow overnight, but they do grow with the right resources.

   
   

3. Sorry, no lawn metaphor on this one, but truly, you deserve to know your worth, then add tax (cliche, sure, but it’s true!).

So where does this leave us?

In yogic philosophy, we’re taught the idea of aparigraha, non-attachment or non-clinging. Aparigraha is the last yama, or worldly observance that we are called to enact as yogis in Patanjali’s 8-limbed path. Aparigraha reminds us to release our grip on what no longer serves us, even if we once loved it, even if it looked good on paper, even if we really really wanted it to work.

Practicing aparigraha is giving ourselves the loving permission to step away from our dried-out, no-longer-serving-us habits/situations/environments, and moving towards something more nourishing - even if you don’t know exactly what it is yet.

Practicing aparigraha also may mean that once we step away from our tried and true habits or behaviors, that the relationships, situations, or lawns that we’ve been tending to start to come back to life. Without the pride that comes with attachment, we may be more open to admitting to ourselves that what was once dead and dried out, may flourish again.

And this isn’t just about me. It’s about you, too: my students, my peers, my fellow seekers. Whether you’re stepping onto your mat for the first time, the 50th time, the 500th time, or stepping into a new phase of your life, these teachings are here for you.

You get to ask: What feels good for me? What depletes me? Where am I clinging on to something out of fear or habit? How can I move with more gentleness, more integrity, more clarity?

Because at the end of the day, you deserve to plant yourself in a space that let’s you GROW, not just survive.