The Art of Non-Resistance

Posted by Carol Small on Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Learning to not resist is definitely an art form.  It is easier to not want to feel pain and loss.  We are surely a pain-avoidant pleasure-seeking species. It isn’t easy to trust what comes our way as only for us and not against us. It takes a broad perspective indeed.

Let me know if you would like some support with this art form. It has many rewards that far outweigh the discomfort of facing what we feel with a calm respectful observation.

The first step in the art of non-resistance is to notice you are feeling resistant. That isn’t always easy to spot. It takes practice. At first, it is recognized after the fact. You will look back and say, I was so resistant to feeling that, I just wanted it to go away and I didn’t want to be open to that feeling. Then soon you will feel the tightness in the body and begin to allow it. You may ask yourself, “Can I for just a moment accept this resistance?” Maybe even be attentive to it like you would a friend that is having a bad day. Curiosity replaces avoidance. That is the beginning of the end of even the deepest disturbance.

The next step is to treat the discomfort with an alert, thought-free observational presence. After you begin to experience the proof that it really does allow it to pass through the opening, space gives it the freedom to release itself. Trust builds and before you know it you are a pro at the art of non-resistance. Trusting, meeting it with openness, and living differently from the most popular and common ways to experience what shows itself in life.