New Eyes

We’ve all had that project, that posture, that thing in life that just will not budge. You work at it, you try different angles, you pivot, you push, you get frustrated — and then, at some point, you just… step away. For me, it was something I wrestled with for months. I kept hitting roadblocks, and every attempt seemed to end in another dead end. Eventually, I tucked it all away, literally into a closet. But every time I saw it, it stared back at me, whispering: failure. And then yesterday, without a plan or a schedule, I pulled it back out. Impromptu. And suddenly, the missing piece clicked. The puzzle opened. What once felt impossible flowed with ease.

That’s the teaching: sometimes it’s not about trying harder, but about stepping back, creating space, and trusting the process. In yoga philosophy, this is abhyasa and vairagya, effort and letting go. We need both. Too much effort and we burn out. Too much letting go and we never engage. But when the two are in balance, doors open.

On the mat, it might look like this: a pose you’ve struggled with for years suddenly feels lighter one day. Or the breath that once felt jagged finds a natural rhythm. Off the mat, it’s the problems in life that seem unsolvable until you solve them.

So the next time you practice, remember: it’s okay to step away. It’s okay to let something rest in the “closet” for a while. it’s all part of the process. Nothing is wasted. Even the pauses matter. Remember that moment when the missing piece finally falls into place. It’s rarely because we forced it. More often, it’s because we stayed with the practice, and also gave ourselves permission to step back. Because when you come back, you may find that time and space have ripened you for clarity. The piece you were missing was just waiting for you to return with new eyes.