Chaturmas: A Season of Letting Go

Chaturmas means "four months."

During this sacred period, Lord Vishnu is said to enter yogic sleep. Symbolically, the qualities of Shiva come to the forefront, inviting us into a season of viyoga: resting, releasing, and letting go.

What does it mean that Lord Vishnu enters yogic sleep?

Vishnu represents preservation, the intelligence that sustains life. As nature begins to quiet, that sustaining energy rests, inviting us to conserve our own. In that stillness, the qualities of Shiva naturally arise.

It becomes a time for dissolving, shedding, and releasing what is no longer needed.

Chaturmas marks the beginning of the year's inward turn.

Spring and summer carry the energy of growth and expansion. Autumn and winter carry the energy of slowing down, reflecting, and letting go. We are part of nature, and when we move with its rhythms instead of against them, life feels more balanced.

The intention of viyoga is not to chase something new. It is simply to release the old. When we let go of what no longer serves us, space opens naturally. There is no need to force what comes next.

In many ways, Chaturmas gives us a head start on the new year. Before beginning a new chapter, we first clear what has accumulated. We clean our homes, simplify our lives, and lighten what we have been carrying.

Just as the body benefits from rest and cleansing, the mind and heart benefit from releasing old patterns, unfinished emotions, and habits that no longer support us. By carrying less, we make space for the new year to unfold with greater clarity, intention, and ease.

This is not a season for accumulating. It is a season for noticing.

Instead of asking, What do I want to create? ask, What am I ready to release?

What habits, reactions, or beliefs have I outgrown?

What am I holding onto that creates resistance?

What has quietly become an obstacle on my path?

Use these four months to rest, digest, simplify, and clear.

Start small. Open a drawer, a closet, or a forgotten corner of your home. If something has served its purpose, let it go with gratitude. As our outer space clears, our inner space often follows.

Chaturmas is not about becoming someone new. It is about uncovering who we have always been beneath everything we have been carrying, a journey from viyoga to samyoga.

Nature teaches us that growth is not always outward. A seed must first turn inward before it can blossom. Chaturmas invites us into that same wisdom: to rest, release, and allow transformation to unfold from within.

What are you ready to let go of this Chaturmas?

Peace, Love n Grace

Sampurna