I just returned home from leading my third Beach Yoga Bliss yoga retreat in Aruba, and as I was preparing my yoga classes this week, I thought about how my students would expect me to share a super inspirational story about the experience. No doubt it was an incredible week full of many great memories: from experiencing spiritual growth and making new friends, to enjoying the beauty of the island of Aruba and being in the presence of an awesome group of yogini goddesses.

You would think that with a week like that I’d be inspired by the warmth of the sunshine, a graceful asana practice, or a peaceful moment of meditation on the beach with the sound of the waves crashing up on the shore. But no, the inspiration I chose to share once back in Akron came from none other than the lizards of Aruba.

Yes, lizards! They are everywhere on the island. and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them are huge and kind of gnarly looking, and some are small and bright green with colored scales so vivid and patterned that they almost don’t look real. The one thing that each lizard does have in common is a really honking long tail.

Each day after our morning yoga session while we had breakfast, the lizards came out to see if they could get any scraps from the table. I would always hang out for a while after breakfast to catch my breath, and I really enjoyed watching the lizards as I relaxed. One morning as I was watching one of the especially humongous specimens, I noticed how long his tail was and thought to myself that it must really suck to always have to drag that tail around. It looks awfully heavy, and what does the lizard do when it needs to get somewhere quick, or even worse, if you need to get away from a predator?

As I was having these thoughts it struck me, “Maria, you are no different than those lizards. You may not have a physical tail on display, but there are days when you have stuff like stress, fear, worries, and attachment that holds you back the same way.” That stuff is the equivalent of baggage that I need to let go of in order to walk lighter, to be at peace, and to be more present for my life.

We all have our own set of baggage we carry around, and guess what yogis? Just like in the airport when I was carrying around my personal belongings, the baggage didn’t get any lighter. On the contrary, what I was carrying just kept getting heavier and heavier. We can’t walk lighter and truly find our bliss until we release what we cling to so tightly in those bags.

What is your tail made of? Is it an old grudge, something or someone you need to forgive (including yourself), an obstacle, or fear? Stop giving it your energy, and let it go! That’s my inspiration straight from Aruba and from the lizard to yogis everywhere. Let go, or be dragged like a lizard tail. Let go so you can start living a life full of peace, full of grace, full of love.

Give me a little more time to unpack my bags, download my photos, and I promise to share more inspiration from the Loving Kindness Yogathon in Aruba. Believe me, there is much more for me to relate!

Getting friendly with the locals.

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