Welcome to this meditation exercise,
Letting go.
Sometimes in life it is difficult to let go of emotions,
Thoughts,
Memories,
Fears,
Plans.
We often define ourselves through those emotions,
Feelings,
Plans,
Memories and yet as we practice mindfulness that means being completely in the here and now.
We are also practicing to let go of those things that actually do not make us happy,
That do not necessarily liberate us and free us,
But actually can become prisons,
Emotional prisons,
Thought pattern prisons,
Memory prisons and future hope or dread prisons.
So let's calm down,
Be present and practice the art of letting go.
I invite you to ground your feet on the floor.
Imagine you have four magnets,
Two in the front and two in the back on your feet and feel how gravity is holding you in being.
Also feel how your legs,
Your spine are being held by a chair,
By a cushion,
By a couch,
By your bed.
Feel how you're grounded.
Feel how the surface is holding you as a reminder that you're not floating away,
That you're grounded on this earth and that you're held in being.
I invite you to feel the tensions in your body.
Maybe you have tensions in your shoulders,
Maybe in your forehead,
Maybe your throat or your chest are needing release.
Take a deep breath in and out.
Another deep breath in and hold and breathe out.
Three more like this.
Deep breath in and deep breath out.
Deep breath in and deep breath out.
Every time you breathe in and out,
You let go of tension.
As you breathe in,
Breathe in calm.
Now as you breathe out,
Release tension in your shoulders.
Lower them down.
As you breathe out again,
Let your hands hang.
Hold them softly.
Let go of any tension in your hands.
You have tension in your chest.
Just try to make space as you breathe in and as you breathe out,
Release all heaviness from your chest,
Your stomach.
Sometimes we hold a lot of nervousness and tension in our abdomen.
As you breathe in,
Move your abdomen out and as you breathe out,
Let go of all the tension in your belly area.
Now keep breathing deeply until you feel a sense of calm and ease come over your body.
And now I want to invite you to breathe normally.
Let the breath just breathe you.
Let it flow in and through you and let's focus on your emotions.
What feelings have you had today?
Maybe you woke up with anxiety,
Maybe some anger,
Frustration,
Maybe grief.
Maybe there are feelings of heaviness lingering in your chest.
Wherever your emotions have settled,
I want you to breathe air into that area of your emotions and bring spaciousness into your feelings.
Just accept that your emotions will come and that you have the power to let them go.
Emotions are fleeting.
They are arousing through images,
Thoughts and they are here to come and to go.
They're not here to stay.
So let your emotions wash over you like a wave and let your emotions go.
And as you let them go,
Breathe in calm,
Breathe in happiness.
Maybe you have a little smile that is too difficult right now.
Just know that calmness is a good replacement for emotions chaotic and wild in your chest,
In your belly,
In your body.
Breathe in calm,
Maybe a smile and let go of all the emotions that right now are not helpful.
Also the same with thoughts.
Maybe you woke up this morning with dark thoughts,
Depressed thoughts,
Anxious thoughts that haven't even come,
That haven't even happened,
That you anticipate bad things or you remember sad things and your thoughts too are like an ocean wave.
I invite you to let your thought come,
Acknowledge your thoughts one at a time and then let them go one at a time.
Breathe in calm,
Acknowledge your thought and let it go.
Another thought,
Let it come,
Breathe in and then let go of that thought that no longer helps you,
That right now is not even real.
Instead think the word calm and feel your body relax.
Breathe in calm,
Let go of thoughts.
And now I invite you to practice.
Whether there are feelings coming,
Just breathe in,
Acknowledge the feeling and let it go.
And maybe a thought comes and arises,
Acknowledge it,
Breathe in and on your out-breath you let it go.
Until you're completely here,
Completely now,
Completely relaxed,
The breath flowing through you,
Life flowing through you,
You are life itself.
Your feet grounded,
Your body held,
Your breath allowing you to calm,
Your practice being letting go.
Breathe in,
Breathe out,
Breathe in,
Breathe out,
Breathe in calm and as you're breathing out let go,
Let go,
Let go.
None of what you're holding on to is you,
All those are just thoughts or feelings.
You are grounded in your breath.
There is healing,
There is peace in your breath,
In your body that lets go of tension in your body that allows to be held by gravity,
By love,
By compassion,
By the universe,
By God.
May your day,
May your night be filled with peace and may you experience the relief that comes from the practice of letting go.
