Welcome to this guided meditation focusing on the power of letting go.
Let us start by finding a comfortable position to meditate from.
A position that is sustainable.
A posture that offers you stability and comfort.
If you are seated today,
Then allow your shoulders to be over your hips in a comfortable and supportive posture.
Hands in your lap or on your knees,
Arms hanging by your sides like heavy curtains.
Allow your body to feel rooted into the ground.
And sit with a sense of lightness,
Length and composure.
Now rest your eyes.
Either by closing them or simply taking a soft gaze,
Not focusing on anything specifically.
Once in position,
Take a moment to check in with yourself.
And sum up how you feel right now.
Be honest with yourself.
And wherever you sit on the emotional spectrum today.
It's OK.
Now start to become aware of your surroundings.
Try not to use your eyes.
And focus your other senses into the space to your left.
Than behind you.
And you're right.
Than above you.
And finally to your front.
Try to let go of the need to be doing more and give yourself permission to slow down.
There's nothing you need to be doing right now.
That can't wait until later.
Now take a deep,
Slow breath in.
And as you inhale focus on fully inflating your lungs and with a sigh gently release any tension you may still be holding.
Now let your attention settle onto your natural breath.
Don't alter the pattern.
Just let the body breathe itself.
Use each breath to gently hold you in the present.
If used regularly,
This guided meditation can help you develop your ability to let go.
It will help you release anything that you feel is holding you back.
The simple truth is,
Unless we can learn to release any attachment to the things that upset us,
We simply can't move forward.
So let's start.
By letting go of the illusion that our life could have been any different.
We usually tell ourselves stories about how life could have been.
We play the If Only I Had game.
If only I had done something differently.
If only I had reacted differently.
If only I'd said something differently.
The list can go on and on.
Everything that has happened to you has happened for a reason.
As unpalatable as it may sound.
Especially when untangling unjust and traumatic events and experiences in our lives.
But these are the moments we must open our hearts and minds and truly listen to the now.
We must start to look for the lesson to be learnt in every situation.
Then gently release our attachment to any negative emotions associated to that lesson.
And then ultimately the experience.
The more we allow ourselves to keep replaying negative scenarios over and over in our heads,
The more we anchor ourselves in the past.
All we achieve is to dredge up old feelings.
Fuel negative emotions and prevent ourselves from moving on.
Anchor yourself once again in the present with your natural breath.
And then I invite you to start using the simple but powerful mantra,
Let's go.
Inhale,
Let.
Exhale go.
Inhale,
Let.
Exhale,
Go.
Repeat this mantra gently,
Either to yourself or out loud.
There's no need to force it.
No need to concentrate too hard on it.
As you repeat the mantra,
You might find that it changes.
It might get louder or fainter,
Faster or slower.
However it changes,
Don't resist it.
Simply allow yourself to enjoy the focus it provides you.
When you notice you have drifted away,
And you will drift away at some point.
It's okay.
Don't get frustrated.
Simply gently guide yourself back to the mantra.
Inhale let.
Exhale,
Go.
Inhale,
Let.
.
.
Exhale,
Go.
Not everyone or everything is meant to stay in your life forever.
Sometimes they're only there long enough to teach you a lesson that you need to learn.
If you fail to see or learn the lessons,
Then life will always present you with other opportunities.
Presenting them in other ways or situations.
Until you eventually learn what needs to be learned.
So by slowing down.
We can prevent this repetition.
By providing ourselves the opportunity to identify and start to learn these lessons.
Before finally releasing them.
And being able then to move on with our lives.
A little bit wiser.
A little more prepared.
A little closer.
Becoming the better version of ourselves.
No one said that this process of letting go is going to be easy.
It can hurt,
Sometimes emotionally.
But equally,
Holding on can sometimes hurt more.
Inhale,
Let.
Exhale,
Go.
Inhale,
Let.
Exhale,
Go.
Pragmatically,
We all know that our paths are not etched in stone and need not weigh us so heavily on our lives.
Yet most of us insist on carrying these stones,
Etched with a unique and torturous list of our failures,
Worries,
Fears and emotional scars to date.
The longer we hold these stones.
The heavier they become.
We keep on carrying these stains.
And if we're not careful,
They can eventually weaken us to the point of exhaustion where we simply can't go on.
But if we can just find the strength to let go.
We can free ourselves from the weight of these burdens,
Instantly feeling lighter and happier.
Inhale let.
Exhale,
Go.
Inhale,
Let.
Exhale,
Go.
Remember,
You can't go back and rewrite your story from the beginning.
But you can start from where you are now and change its ending.
No matter how much we may wish we could change aspects of our lives.
The simple truth is,
Some people and things just weren't meant to be for you.
That some jobs and situations just weren't meant to work out.
No,
It's okay for things not to work out.
Nobody's life is a straight line that makes perfect sense.
Everyone has twists and turns and sometimes we need to go backwards so that we can go forwards.
So rather than trying to rewrite the past,
Or become fixated on trying to shape your future,
Sometimes we simply need to let go.
When we let go of who we are.
Where you can become who we might be.
Whatever the present moment contains for you right now.
Embrace it.
As if you'd chosen it yourself.
Work with it.
Not against it.
Present moment is all we truly have.
Yet so often we squander these precious moments,
Fixated on the sadness of the past,
Or worrying about what the future may hold.
Aaron Hansen sums up this very human struggle beautifully.
I was the type of person that held onto things too tight,
Unable to release my grip when it no longer felt right.
And although it gave me blisters,
And my fingers would all ache,
I always thought that holding on was worth the pain it takes.
I used to think in losing things,
I'd lose a part of me too.
That slowly I'd become someone my heart no longer knew.
Then one day,
Something happened.
I dropped what I had once held dear.
But my soul became much lighter.
Instead,
I filled with fear.
And it taught my heart that sometimes,
Things aren't meant to last for long.
They arrive to teach you lessons,
And they continue on.
You don't have to cling to people who no longer make you smile.
Or do things you've come to hate if it isn't worth your while.
That sometimes the thing you're fighting for isn't worth the cost.
And not everything you ever lose is bound to be a loss.
I'll leave you now for a little while to explore your mantra.
Inhale,
Let.
Exhale,
Go.
Inhale,
Let go.
Exhale,
Go.
Surrender yourself to the present moment.
Eventually you'll hear my voice again after you've heard the chime of two meditation bells.
And when you do hear the bells,
Keep your eyes closed and relax in the peace and stillness.
That you have created.
Sit for a moment with your eyes closed.
And release the mantra.
Let the stillness and silence of the present moment sink in.
When you're ready.
I invite you to take a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in and then gently let it go,
Releasing any tension that you may still be holding.
When you're ready.
I invite you to open your eyes very slowly,
Allowing them to adjust to the light and to your surroundings.
And then just sit for a moment.
In the feeling of calm,
Peace and stillness you've created by simply letting go.
When you're ready,
I invite you to place your palms together at heart centre.
The light in me sees and salutes the light in you.
Namaste.
Thank you for joining me today.
And I look forward to sharing a practice with you again soon.
