Practicing Non-Attachment
Non-attachment, simply put, is the practice of detaching from what is outside of your control that could negatively affect you and be harmful to your well-being, and. Non-attachment has come to be a major part of my yoga and fitness journey-- as well as my life overall.
While non-attachment is often associated with a yoga practice, it can also be a great way to approach fitness and exercise and contribute to happy, healthy, balanced living. So let's talk about what non-attachment is, and how to practice it daily.
What It's NOT
There's a lot of misconceptions about what non-attachment is, so first let's talk about what it's not.
The idea of non-attachment has always been a difficult one for me to grasp. I used to absolutely despise the concept and disregard it by saying, "I want to feel! I want to reach for something! I want to have goals!" I thought this "wasn't allowed" when practicing non-attachment, and I refused to live as a cold, distant, removed being simply existing on this earth. Luckily, that's not what non-attachment is about.
Non-attachment does not mean lacking in emotion. Non-attachment does not mean not having goals or ambition. Non-attachment does not mean feeling nothing. Non-attachment is not indifference, apathy, and callousness. Non-attachment does not mean avoiding hard, challenging, or difficult situations. Many people (myself included) have misinterpreted non-attachment in this way and have decided that not only is it impossible, but undesirable as well.
The good news is you can still have emotions, feelings, goals, and ambition and practice non-attachment.
What is Non-Attachment?
Non-attachment means that your happiness and well-being is not swayed by external factors or events, or the outcome of a situation. In life, this means that whether or not you get that promotion, fight with a loved one, or experience a tragedy or loss, your well-being is not affected in a way that sends you into a spiral. It allows you to feel pain, loss, and sadness without becoming enveloped and controlled by those emotions and descending into chaos and despair. It allows you to feel those emotions and remain rooted, firm, and strong. By not attaching your happiness to an event, relationship, or outcome, your well-being remains stable, even in the midst of deep emotions.
Whew. Talk about a challenge.
This same mindset can apply to fitness. Practicing non-attachment in this context means that even if you gain weight, miss your workout for the day, or fall off your diet plan, your happiness is not swayed. Whether or not you hit your goal weight, fit into your old pants, or increase your mile time, your well-being stands apart. Non-attachment in fitness allows room for imperfections, impermanence, and the unpredictability of life.
How to Practice Non-Attachment in Fitness
In fitness, as in life, non-attachment can be a useful tool to remain happy, healthy, and balanced. Here are 5 ways to practice non-attachment in fitness today:
1. Be proactive about what you can control.
You can't control the things that come up throughout your day, but you can control what you prioritize and what you respond to. Create a daily schedule that prioritizes what's most important to you. Put your workout in your calendar and treat it like any other appointment. Make a nutrition plan. Think ahead about which days you will go out to dinner, parties, or events and expect to go a little off track. The more you prepare and think ahead, the more you can manage expectations, plan for victories and setbacks, and control your emotional response to external factors. You can detach from what you can't control by focusing on what you can.
2. Create routines to keep you grounded.
It's harder to be swayed by external factors when you have routines in place to remind you of home base. Regular movement, workouts, and meditation can keep you feeling connected to your sense of self when everything else feels unpredictable and outside of your control. Create routines that you can rely on in times of chaos and uncertainty. Use those routines and rituals to remind yourself of what's important to you, and to elevate your physical and mental state regardless of what happens otherwise.
3. Focus on the process, not the result.
Your fitness journey is never over. It's not something we will ever cross off our list and be done with. It requires constant maintenance and focus. Regardless of whether you had a "good" or "bad" week fitness wise, know that it's not the end. Detach from the results-oriented, outcome based thought process we've been ingrained with, and allow yourself to be imperfect in your fitness journey. Giving yourself that permission will free your emotional state from the heaviness of doing everything "right."
4. Remember nothing is permanent.
How you feel today may not be how you feel tomorrow. What your body looks like now won't be what your body looks like in 10 years. The more we can accept that ever-changing nature of life, and actually embrace it, the happier we will be. Your physical appearance is guaranteed to change, so don't link your happiness to those external factors. Embrace impermanence. Be grateful to what currently is, without clinging to it. Be open to seeing how you change over time, and practice finding joy through your regular routines at each phase. Let go of what belongs to the past.
5. Give space to feel your feelings.
Don't ignore your feelings. Feel them! Are you upset with your perceived lack of progress, sad about a weight loss or gain, or disappointed with your ability to stick to a program? That's okay. Allow yourself to feel that. Don't pretend the emotions aren't there. Sit with them. Accept them. Acknowledge them. By doing so, you give them less power to overwhelm you. You find ways to process them and keep moving. You can write them out, sweat them out, or cry them out without succumbing to them.
Non-attachment is a great way to approach life and fitness. You can have goals, ambition, and emotions and still set your well-being apart from external factors and the outcome of various situations. Incorporate non-attachment into your fitness routine and experience increased health, happiness, and balance.
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Fire + Voice coaches people on-the-go on how to overcome busy days, yo-yo diets, and unsustainable fitness fads in order to stay fit from anywhere in the world-- and live a life of freedom rather than restrictions-- through online personal training, yoga, life coaching, and global retreats. We show our clients how to be fit and free. Most importantly, we give each client the tools they need to reclaim their body and life.