Most months, when I’m planning the classes I’ll teach, a theme emerges.

Sometimes the theme comes from conversations with students or coaching clients.
Sometimes it’s something I’ve been noticing in classes.
And sometimes, it’s personal.

Yoga has a way of reflecting things at you when you’re ready to see them.
Not loudly. Just clearly.

Lately, that theme has been detachment.

Not in a “switch off and stop caring” way.
More in a “stop holding on so damn tightly” kind of way.

After a second half of the year filled with surprise opportunities and increased momentum — including invitations to do things my former BigLaw self would’ve thought impossible for me — I can feel something shifting.

And when things start to shift, the work is often simple, but not easy.

Create space.

And to create space, something (or things) has to go.

When Detachment Starts to Matter

You might be feeling this, too.

A sense that something in your life no longer fits the way it once did.
A role, routine, or expectation that used to feel right, but now feels heavy.

Often, we know this long before we care to admit it.
But we keep going, partly because it’s familiar, partly because letting go asks us to face what comes next.

I’ve been there many times.

And in my experience, both personally and through my work with clients, what we struggle to release usually falls into two camps.

The Two Things We Struggle to Let Go Of

1. The things that once served us, but no longer do

These are the easier things to let go of.
Note, I said easier, not easy.

They’re the habits, commitments, or paths that supported you in one chapter of life.

They may still look fine from the outside.
They may still technically work.

But your energy has moved on.

You’re no longer invested.

And once you’re honest about that, loosening your grip becomes possible.

2. The things that feel inseparable from who you are

This is where detachment becomes much more difficult.

These are the roles and identities you’ve carried for so long that they feel like you.
The version of yourself people recognise and understand.
The labels that bring structure, status, or certainty.

This is what kept me stuck in BigLaw for five years after I knew it wasn’t right anymore.

It wasn’t a lack of clarity, not entirely.

My identity was inextricably linked to the title, the prestige, the predictability.
So letting go didn’t just feel like a career change.
It felt like an identity change.
Like stepping into the unknown as someone I didn’t yet understand.

Why Identity Makes Letting Go So Hard

When something is deeply woven into how you see yourself, releasing it can feel like loss — even when you know, deep within your soul, that it’s the right move.

We don’t just ask:

What will I do instead?

We ask:

Who will I be without this?

That’s why detachment isn’t a cold or passive act.
It’s a courageous one.

How Detachment Creates Space for What’s Next

Detachment isn’t about becoming indifferent.

It’s about becoming available.

Available for new projects.
New ways of working.
New relationships.
New definitions of success that align with who you’re becoming now — not who you were then.

I’m working through this with a coaching client at the moment, releasing old stories that got them here, but won’t get them where they know they want to go next.

And like a doctor who takes their own medicine, I’m doing the same.

Not in a dramatic, burn-it-all-down way.
More like a quiet realignment of values, desires, and priorities.

A few soft goodbyes.
A gentle shedding.
Less effort spent clinging to and maintaining what no longer fits or serves.

A Question Worth Sitting With

The details will always be different for each of us.

But the question underneath it all is often the same:

What do you need to let go of to make space for what’s next?

If you want something simple to work with this week, try holding this intention at the forefront of your mind:

I commit to not being swayed or trapped by others’ expectations, but to remain deeply rooted in my self-awareness.

Because the more rooted you are in that awareness, the clearer it becomes what you’re ready to release.

If it helps, take five minutes and finish this sentence:

“I’m ready to let go of ______ because ______.”

Don’t overthink it.
Simply write down your answer(s), sit with them for a while, and see where your intuition leads you.

Life’s heavy enough without carrying extra weight.
So here’s your invitation — or, if you need it, permission — to release and let that thing go.

An Invitation

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