Mel Robbins is one of my favourite writers, podcasters and all round lovely human doing fabulous work for women health (as well as all genders). Her ‘Let them’ book is steeped in yoga and Im here for it!
Ive been listening to and reading Mel Robbins work for years now. Her 5 second rule was probably one of the first ‘self help’ books I listened to and it really did have an impact on my day to day life. Her most recent book ‘The Let Them Theroy’ is another smasher getting a lot of attention. If you havent read it – I suggest you do. But here are a few of the top line ideas –
- People will be peopling all the time – they will do and say what they want to and there is nothing you can do about it
- You can only control how you react and move forward
- Allowing yourself the release of saying ‘let them’ frees you from an responsibility for their actions
- Once you have let go of that you can ask yourself ‘let me’ – this means deciding from a place of peace and calm what you want to do
- Do you want to put up with their behaviour or walk away. Do you want to make the effort with them or let things just fizzle out. Do you want to make decisions based on how other people will react or live your life for you?
This is a super simplified overview but you get the gist. So how is this related to yoga I hear you cry?
Yoga teaches us non-attachment
When you dive into the world of yoga you realise that it is so much more than holding postures and breathing (hopefully). The 8 limbs of yoga offer more of a insight into what yoga actually IS, part of this is a set of life guidelines (not rules). One of these is non-attachment. The idea being that you can work hard, love hard, live a full and vibrant life BUT we need to live without attachment to the results of our work, out love and life. This might sound a little negative and perhaps defeatist but it actually the opposite. Let me give you an example –
I love writing (especially about womens health) I am loving being sat here in my comfy office and letting my fingers run over the keyboard whilst my brain and heart work together. I will post out this post and promote it through my business BUT the idea of non-attachment means I can enjoy the process of writing without expecting anyone to read it or engage with it. For me this means I am writing for me, not for anyone else. I can write from my heart and from my womb without worrying how it will be received. Its liberation. Its the idea that although we may try our best, our happiness is not attached to the outcome. We are happy whatever life will bring.
Its not always easy. We are driven by ego, thats not necessarily a bad thing – we need a little ego to get things done. But if we are constantly driven by ego to succeed, to perform. If we are constantly seeking external outcomes rather than internal then we will always feel just a little disconnected. Perhaps even cheated. Lets face it, the outcome is very rarely what we expected it to be.
So what does this mean for you?
It means practising the art of saying ‘let them’
Someone cuts you up when driving – let them
Someone treats you with no respect or care – let them
Someone choses to spend time with someone else instead of you – let them.
THEN – LET YOU – Decide how you want to feel, who you want in your life, how you wish to be treated.
How could you use the let them theory? If you would like some help then get in touch with me.
xxx