The Yogi's Gamble: Know When to Hold 'Em, Know When to Fold 'Em

Honestly, there are days I would rather hide under a pile of blankets than try to navigate the firehose of emotion that comes along with big life changes. Even the words "beginning" and "ending" seem so light and heavy.

Whether it's a physical object, a memory, a lesson, or a friendship, how do we know when to hold on and when to let go?

Let your yoga practice tap you on the shoulder here as it says, "I can help". Though mindfulness, meditation, breath, and movement, yoga offers us tools to navigate these passages with grace and awareness. Here are practices to help determine what to carry forward and what to release:

1. Become the Observer - Create space between yourself and your experiences through observation and breath awareness. Take a step back and observe your perspective from the outside looking in.

   
   

   Practice Tip: In challenging poses, observe your reactions without judgment. Notice thoughts like "This is hard" or "I can't do this" without attachment. Apply this witness perspective to life transitions, observing emotions from a compassionate distance to make wiser choices about what to keep or release.

   
   
   
   

2. Honor what's complete - Acknowledge endings with gratitude before moving forward, creating emotional closure that makes new beginnings sweeter.

   
   

   Practice Tip: Create small rituals to mark endings—write a letter to a chapter that's closing, hold a personal ceremony, or simply pause to acknowledge "this is finished" before rushing to what's next.

   
   

3. Identify your constants -Understand your important beliefs and strengths that remain steady even when things around you change.

   
   

   Practice Tip: In balancing poses like Tree, focus on your visual focal point and your connection to the earth as constants that remain steady while other elements fluctuate. In life transitions, make a physical list of your core values, strengths, and relationships that remain consistent regardless of external changes. This inventory becomes your portable foundation, traveling with you through any transformation.

   
   

4. Release with intention - Practice letting go consciously rather than clinging or abandoning.

   
   

   Practice Tip: Practice conscious muscle release during your final relaxation (Savasana) by tensing a muscle group fully on the inhale and completely releasing it on the exhale. Notice the difference between forcing relaxation and allowing it. When facing a life transition, try writing down what you're holding onto, then consciously choosing one small thing to release each day—whether it's a physical object, a grudge, or an outdated self-image.

   
   

5. Embrace uncertainty - Find comfort in the space between what was and what will be.

   
   

   Practice Tip: Hold poses that challenge your stability for just a breath longer than comfortable, finding peace in the wobble rather than fighting it. Off the mat, when caught in the uncertainty of transition, try the "both/and" practice—acknowledge both your discomfort AND the possibility within it: "I feel uncertain AND this uncertainty contains potential." This practice helps transform the in-between space from something to escape into fertile ground for growth. You've got this.