The Yoga of grief
Often, we think of grief as mourning someone who’s passed, or maybe letting go of a relationship. But grief goes much deeper than that.
It’s also about the loss of self-identity and the attachments we cling to. At some point, aspects of these will go forcefully or willingly. The struggle begins when we’re so attached to an identity or a piece of our past that we can’t let it go, even though it’s destroying everything around us.
Think of the athlete training through injuries, or the substance abuser losing everything they love. Why do we hold on so tightly?
The Gita on Attachment and Desire
In the Bhagavad Gita (2.62-63), Krishna explains it clearly:
"When a person dwells on objects, attachment to them arises. From attachment comes desire, and from unfulfilled desires, anger and delusion follow."
I can relate to this in my own health struggles. Letting go of things I’ve loved some for decades has been a difficult process. It’s created anger, and even pushed me to do things I shouldn’t. In the end, it’s only kicked me in the face, potentially complicating existing issues.
Finding Peace Through Release
As I’ve worked through this more recently in my meditations, I keep coming back to Krishna’s words later in that chapter:
"One who abandons attachments and moves without clinging obtains peace." — Bhagavad Gita 2.71
As I let go of the things that are outside of my control, peace arrives. I realized I was stuck in a feedback loop, clinging to past achievements and not allowing myself to move forward.
I’ve been letting go of a lot of things lately, meditating deeply on that line.
Adapt or Face the Storm
As life changes, we either adapt and let go, or we face the storm head-on.
Think about your own struggles: Are you attached to something that’s preventing you from growing? Or are you feeling a sadness you can’t explain due to recent life changes?
Grief appears in many ways. Learning how we connect to it and process it allows us to grow, move forward, and break the chains holding us back.
It’s not easy. It will bring tears. But from those tears, joy arrives.
