I don't mean detachment from society, but detachment from stuff and the norms you grow so used to as part of your daily routine.
I walked into my Tuesday night yoga class at the Dallas Yoga Center to discover the wall clock had been removed. "What happened?" I wondered as I suddenly realized I'd have no concept of time for the next couple of hours. For a person who is very schedule-driven like, losing track of time could be quite distressing! Fortunately I had a flexible evening in front of me, so I decided to take it as an opportunity to practice detachment from time.
We began or practice, and I couldn't analyze every five minutes padding along the way. Since I knew I couldn't, I stopped thinking about time and enjoyed my yoga practice more than I have in months. During the practice the headstand sequence is the pose that gives back to the Earth and allows you to release your attachments in the world. I always do a mental cleanse in that pose and breath out anything that has been bothering me. Practicing detachment from time got me thinking what else could practice detaching from.
1. The Internet. Oh how the web has intertwined itself into everyday life. I might seriously have withdrawal without the immediate gratification of having information at my fingertips.
2. My iPhone. I love my phone and don't know what I'd do at stoplights without it! I confess I'm a rampant Words with Friends player and use stop lights to strategize my next move much to the dismay of the person waiting behind me.
3. Television. This one isn't my biggest challenge, but I think I'd miss it more if I didn't have it for a week.
4. Food. I'm not a big advocate of fasting from all food, though as an Orthodox Christian I fast from certain foods sometimes during holiday seasons like Easter and Christmas. Fasting from meat and/or dairy can be a big challenge to make you realize your attachment to something you expect to have readily available in life.
Detaching can be a challenging decision, but it's not a bad idea to take a detox weekend every now and then to separate yourself from things that consume your life. Peace, quiet and a change of scenery can often be just the ticket to detach from things, reconnect with yourself and recharge your batteries. Go on and let go because you can!
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