April 2015
Welcome --
"Like everyone else, I've had moments
when I've
felt that I've been
losing my grip."
(Russell Crowe)
"Some of us think holding on makes us strong;
but
sometimes it is letting go."
(Herman Hesse)
Let's play with a seeming paradox --
"Get a grip"/ "Let it Go".
I stumbled on this recently while literally talking myself out of a hissy fit.
We've all heard the two phrases as separate
admonishments:
"Get a Grip" -- the Zen slap: step back into reality, reel it in, calm down.
"Let it Go" -- drop it, stop pushing, move on.
Putting the two together underscores a crucial piece of practice -- relinquishing control and allowing the present to unfold. Both phrases accomplish this. The first brings us back to the present. The second preps us for what the present has to offer.
For example, when I feel like I'm "losing control" -- as if I ever had it -- running late, not being heard, getting frustrated in the undercurrent of "If only they'd do it my way", I remind myself to "Get a Grip". It immediately shifts the energy.
Then I'm in a place to consider the phrase "Let it
Go" -- being late might work to my advantage, perhaps what I'm saying isn't accurate and can't be heard, and there might be a better way than "my way" to address the situation. "Let it Go" shifts the energy again and steeps me in the present so that I'm available for the given moment.
In either part of this practice, remember
to
Stop.
Breathe.
Check in with your Bodymind.
Do You need to "Get a Grip"?
Do you need to "Let it Go"?
Choose accordingly and then act on it.
"Grip and Go" for short. It's an effective prompt in those moments of upset and upheaval, reminding me to release so that I may receive what's coming my way (a reframe of the concept of "my way").
"All the art of living lies
in a fine mingling of letting go
and holding on."
(Havelock Ellis)