Saying 'No'

October 5th, 2010

Today's theme in yoga was saying 'no', and how, when we say 'no' to something in one area of life, we make 'room', or open ourselves up to saying 'yes', and/or being stronger in other areas.  You can apply this principle physically, such as refusing (or saying 'no') to letting your back leg drop to ground as you are lifting it, standing on one leg (i.e., holding firm, staying grounded);  OR, you can apply it to every day life - for example, saying 'no' to something you know will deprive you of energy.  The idea is to balance the 'no' with the 'yes'.  In order to achieve balance (for example, standing on one leg), one has to be strong in one area while softening and expanding in another.  It's an interesting idea, and ultimately it's YOUR choice.  I am hugely guilty of not saying no often enough, so this blog post is a reminder - a NOTE TO SELF, if you will, to remember that saying 'no' sometimes is not a deprivation - it can allow us to ultimately say 'yes' to ourselves.