A business I work nearby has recently ceased to do business, and the marquee now says: “closed for good”. The phrasing got me thinking. I know in this sense it is meant to convey the finality of the closure, but it gave me pause – what if it meant the closing was good?
So often there’s an unspoken judgement when something we’ve done doesn’t last forever. But I have yet to do anything that lasted forever. I’ve lived in many houses, had many jobs, and formed many relationships. And many of my prior ‘closings’ have been good. I’ve come to think of most endings as marking chapters. In this chapter I worked here, was close to these people, lived here. In another chapter none of those things may be true, and so the next chapter gets to be wonderful and unexpected.
What if this business closed because it was just plain good for them? Of course, I’m only speculating—this isn’t about that particular business. But what if we close something because we are moving to the beach and closing for [a] good retirement? Maybe we are bored and are closing for ‘good’ new challenges. We could close something for good mental health, for good opportunities, because someone bought us out for a ton of money and we said: “yeah, that’s good!”
I’ve been sitting with this idea of closing doors to open new ones. Of closing some of things to make more space for good, for joy, for rest, for alignment. I (we) can only be committed to a few things. There is only so much time and so much energy. Our bodies and minds have limits. Recently I’ve been highly committed to completing all the pieces and parts of the 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training that starts August 15th. I’ve been focused on refining how and what I teach after spreading myself a little too thin – offering too many classes and events and ending each week feeling more drained than fulfilled. I’ve been focused on reclaiming time that feels like “free time” and “me-time” after a chapter that felt like it had nothing but “go-time”.
I’ve slowly been closing some things “for good”, and I know more closings are coming. I am opening big new doors, and I need to have the energy, intention, and grace to open these doors the way I want to. When I am living in my highest self I trust that when I close a door it doesn’t leave a void. Instead, it creates a space for somebody else. When I stepped back from a few of my teaching roles, new teachers stepped into them. It was a transition “for good”. All good.
So why do I carry this idea that I must keep doing everything I’ve ever started… forever?
This is where the yogic principle of aparigraha—non-attachment—comes in. Today I’m feeling it in the release of some of the energy I’ve been wrapped up in. I’m reminded and encouraged by the ever-changing flowers outside my window: the change is the growth.
Journal Prompt: What am I resisting closing for good?
Physical Prompt: Sit quietly and think about no longer doing something you currently do. Notice what you feel physically, and where you feel it. It you feel highly activated, take calming breaths with long exhales and consider physically shaking the part of your body the feeling was settled in to help reset the nervous system.
All content I share here, elsewhere on my websites and in social media is created by me, Alison Gurevich – and not AI or other sources unless otherwise specifically attributed. This includes all photographs, writing, and ideas. All rights reserved by Alison Gurevich. “For Good” originally published to www.breathtomotion.com on June 9, 2025. When you find typos or grammar errors, celebrate humanity and enjoy a little song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3wKzyIN1yk (Human by Rag N Bone Man).