Letting go of the rock!

Picture a rushing rapid.  White water all around. Right in the middle of the torrent is a boulder. Hanging on for dear life there you are...your fingers are slipping, as you struggle to hold on with a death grip....did you ever get that feeling about life?  We really are like the drowning man hanging on to the rock. We are afraid to let go, afraid to surrender to trust. We hold on to so  many things with that grip, clutching tight to old patterns, people, the job that"defines" us. The ego creates this hanging on-our good friend the ego  just doesn't like change....but the only thing that is certain in this life is change! It's inevitable, like the moving of the swift current. Talk about a struggle. It is tiring just thinking about it. But instead of struggling against the current, if we just choose to let go of the rock and flow downstream into the current of life, and allow it to happen, and see where it flows we don't drown-we become buoyant. The current of life allows us to swim supported once we surrender to it and brings us right to where we are supposed to be for us. I used to hold on with a vengeance! (The inner control freak dies hard!) When I came to yoga, I was in a dark night of the soul. My father had passed after a long illness, the job of 17 years ended,someone close to me struggling with addiction, the milestone birthday was upon me.Quite a load to hold onto. I was struggling to keep a grip on what I thought was my life.  At every turn when I fought-to try to keep the job going, holding on to my dad, trying to fix the addict. Because I didn't listen, the universe literally was giving me no choice but to let go! So I did. Not the easisest thing to do, let me tell you! At first in my practice, the control freak wouldn't surrender..my teacher's favorite remark to me at one point.."let go of your head!" You see, by holding on, we  create internal and external tension.But here's the secret...if you let go, you really won't drown. Release, slip into lifes current, and let it take you, all you have to do is ...SWIM! You won't be sorry.....let go of the rock!