Sunday reflection

 

Sunday Reflection – The Discipline of Letting Go

This morning, discipline woke me at 3:45. By 4:00 I was already on my yoga mat—push-ups, stretches, meditation, breathing. At first, I tried to rush through the postures, but my body wouldn’t allow it. My body is speaking to me now, guiding me into places I never knew existed.

On the mat, I face my emotions. They knock on the door—self-pity, the past, the future, and finally, the present moment. I sit with them like interviews, choosing carefully who I allow in. The postures and push-ups are the interviews, and my choice is always the present.

Soon I’ll reach 800, even 1,000 push-ups in the morning. Each one awakens my spine, stirs my kundalini, and fills me with a power greater than myself. The movements feel like Tai Chi—breathing into tightness, releasing distress, grounding me in gratitude.

Even my eating is changing. My body craves light food, water, meditation. Everywhere I go, I am meditating, praying. This is my job now: to rise, read, pray, meditate, and share. No matter how many times I’ve tried to chase pleasure, I always return to the yoga mat.

Sleeping outside, I still give thanks. Certain people support me, and I am grateful. When I look at the rising sun, I bow in humility. The practice has taught me to prostrate, to see God in others, to let go of arrogance.

Letting go isn’t easy. It requires practice, patience, and the willingness to release control. After my stroke, I lost flexibility in my hands for five years. People criticized me when I spent hours each day running, walking, and practicing yoga, but I kept moving. One day I heard a voice say, “Jog and walk a marathon every day.” I listened. After Marathon 165, movement returned to my hands. Healing requires surrender, focus, and full dedication.

Letting go also means trusting the unseen. I don’t always know how I eat or where resources come from, yet I always do. The universe provides when I surrender fully. Today reminded me of that with small, unexpected blessings. These are the miracles that show up when discipline meets surrender.

This evening, after my two-hour jog and walk, I arrived at a space of meditation and silence. I didn’t need to speak. Sometimes spirituality isn’t about words—it’s about presence. Today I allowed my mind to be still, blank, and at peace.

Discipline speaks louder than talk.

—Ade Olude | Yoruba Yogi