Grace and Gravity - Finding Acceptance and Surrender in a Game of Chance

The Teaching

My radiant, wise (and often hilarious) yoga teacher Clarisse Khalsa likes to say,

“…the opposite of Gravity is Grace.”

This little gem is packed with wisdom, and I’d love to muse on it from my own perspective. You can check out more of Clarisse’s insights on her Instagram and on her website.

Living in a World of Polarities

Clarisse weaves her wisdom into her classes, often reminding us that we live in a world of polarities—there will always be contrast. Accepting that reality is what brings inner peace.

It’s our resistance to what we deem undesirable that breeds suffering and the illusion of separateness —a theme echoed in most spiritual teachings. And what a constant practice (and sometimes struggle) it is to accept!

“In this world of polarities, what is the opposite of Gravity?” she once pondered, and offered her insight: “Grace!”

Gravity and Grace

Gravity is a force of Nature, the force that weighs us down, but also anchors us in place so that we don’t fly off into space. Accepting gravity can give gravitas—that magnetic solidity we sense in someone comfortable with the full spectrum of human experience. But when things go wrong, and life seems a string of struggles, it is hard to stay grounded. And in those times when senseless losses and misfortunes seem beyond what we can endure, we hope that Grace can find its way to us.

Grace is what lifts us when we can’t rise on our own—a gift from above, the Hand of God reaching down to offer an assist. It’s an invitation to step out of the Ego mind and remember that I am more than what happens to me, and more than my mistakes—or my accomplishments, for that matter. When we attribute our good fortune to our own doing alone, Gravity will eventually make the fall from Grace a hard and humbling lesson.

The time I won the Lottery

I was contemplating Clarisse’s concept at the end of one of her 11-day yoga offerings, when I found myself being wagged, like the tail of a dog. As I witnessed my reactions from moment to moment, I remembered “Gravity” and “Grace.”

A couple of times a year, I get the impulse to buy a lottery ticket—just to test my luck. This time, when I checked the numbers the next day, I found I had WON! For the first time ever, and the smallest possible prize, but I was giddy with the feeling that

“I’m a winner!!”

I laughed at myself, for the outsized sense of inflation this little win caused me, but enjoyed it none the less.

I planned to stop off and collect my prize on my way back from the farmer’s market. I put the ticket in my back pocket and headed off. On my way back, I pulled my phone out of the pocket, and the ticket must have tagged along, because as I neared the gas station, I realized my pocket was empty! “Oh No,” I thought,

“I’m a loser!!”

Not because I didn’t win the lottery, but because I literally lost the winning ticket! What a loser!! I was so mad at myself—How could I? I knew the risk of carrying it around in my pocket, and yet I managed to do the very thing I was so afraid of doing. Was it a subconscious act of self-sabotage? I recognized “Gravity” at play. Again, the comedy of the moment brought a moment of Grace to my mind, and I laughed, knowing full well I would not have found it funny had it been a million-dollar winning ticket.

It was hot, and my feet were hurting, but I decided I simply had to backtrack and see if I could find that ticket, against all odds. Fifteen minutes later, there on the sidewalk lay my trampled lottery ticket!

"I'm a winner —again!!”

I was reminded of that teaching story about impermanence, “This too shall pass…”. I finally cashed in my $5 ticket, bought a couple more tickets, and brought home $11 cash.

The Gift of Grace

Grace entails recognizing that a higher force is at play – that our little Ego Self is not the creator of our circumstances. Grace is not the positive opposite of a negative situation, but the realization that we ride this seesaw of ups and downs and we cannot get off the carousel, to mix playground metaphors.

Grace encompasses both recognizing the polarities and allowing ourselves to enjoy the ride—to fully be in this life, with all that it offers.

The Lesson

What struck me in this anecdote was how quickly we make what happens to us about us—even in a game of chance.

The comedy, of course, was that I really was both a winner and a loser, literally—but still managed to make it mean something bigger about Who I Am.

Sometimes Grace shows up as humor—the kind that snaps us out of the tension of opposites with a laugh.

Acceptance and Surrender

Grace requires a leap of some kind—faith, forgiveness, mercy, surrender. It’s an invitation to higher ground, beyond the dualities of right and wrong, good and bad, where we try to make sense of things through logic or cause and effect.

Grace is granted—not because it’s earned or deserved, but simply because it’s what’s needed.

And if Grace isn’t the opposite end of the seesaw, maybe it’s the stance in the middle—the steady point from which we can ride the rise and fall without losing balance.Or the hub of the carousel, where we can watch the play of life with compassion—or, in this case, amusement—without being flung out of orbit.

Coming Back to Grace

So now, when I feel myself pulled into the heaviness of gravity—be it shame, self-blame, or disappointment—I try to remember my new cue words— name the pull “Gravity,” and call upon “Grace.”

With Gratitude

Find out more about Clarisse Khalsa and the many ways she shares her light and Grace.

I’m so glad you landed here! If you’d like to know more about my approach or background, you can visit my bio page here.