September 25, 2022. When you’ve invested significant time and energy into something and the result is not what you expected, there can be a let down that includes physical sensations and mood states that feel heavy. From there, you can swirl down into prior disappointments and the landscape can seem dark and dense. The current let-down is further amplified by memories of past let-downs. Naturally, there’s a recovery period for setbacks and disappointment; however, it is possible to shift out of the dark mood space through deliberate use of your attention and energy. The more I dwell on what did not come to pass, the heavier I feel and the worse it seems. Talking about it doesn’t bring any real relief and it makes it seem even bigger oftentimes. Getting it out can be temporarily cathartic. It’s not all locked inside anymore. If talking about it is used to move towards acceptance, that’s good. Ruminating and continuing to talk about it silently or out loud, on the other hand, is not helpful. What creates a change? Deliberately shifting attention. Gurudev, Yogi Amrit Desai, tells his students, “Energy follows attention.” What I focus on is magnified and amplified by my attention on it. If I turn to another topic or do something, anything, to take my mind and body somewhere else, it can bring relief almost immediately. Focusing my attention on simple activities, like repotting a plant or doing the dishes, can take the mind out of the loop. Accepting what’s transpired if there’s nothing I can do about it, is the medicine that’s needed. This happens when I shift my attention. This is one reason why yoga is so miraculous. When I move out of my thinking mind and into my feeling body, I consciously create a shift. When I move from thinking about it to instead dropping into the sensation in my body, it interrupts the loop or noise. This is how I practice letting go of a thought that’s stuck about something that didn’t work. And at that moment when I turn my attention to the body, my feet, my hands, the sensations, the volume on the disappointment is reduced. Gratitude may seem like a stretch at first, but it’s really not. Can I be grateful for being present in this body in this moment? Can I feel that nothing bad is happening right now? Can I be grateful for the ability to experience life? Gratitude is a state of being. Not everything has to be working out the way you want it to feel gratitude. Gratitude can be showing up for life, even showing up for the let down. I’m alive. I’m breathing. I have this moment.