Washing Away The Holding Onto

This practice is dedicated to cultivating the ease that results from letting go. As we explore the tension, anxiety, stress or any form of suffering we experience in our lives, we can trace it back to our natural tendency to 'hold onto.' The thought that by clinging onto and attaching ourselves to something, we might feel more stable, more secure or more in control is the very pattern that leads to many of our difficulties. By learning to let go and to ease into the murky water of the unknown, we begin to become more in rhythm with the very nature of our lives - constant change.

Transcript

This meditation is dedicated to cultivating the softness and ease that comes from letting go,

From allowing and listening.

We spend much of our time actively trying to edge ourselves a little closer to the life we think we are meant to be leading,

The love that we think we are meant to be experiencing.

And amidst the deadlines and expectations we place on ourselves and we have placed on us,

It is a rarity to experience the joy,

Ease and flow that comes with letting go and letting come.

All is forever changing,

Nothing natural ever stays the same,

You know this.

Yet we try to cling to our identities,

To other people,

To places,

To outcomes.

So let's see if we can touch the joy that resides in letting go and let's remind ourselves that we know our way there,

In this practice.

So just finding a comfortable posture that will allow you to be both relaxed and attentive.

Maybe you're seated or maybe you're laying down,

Either is perfectly fine.

Wherever you are just gently closing down your eyes on your exhale if you're comfortable too.

And just turning your attention inwards,

This is your time and your space.

And you're choosing to be here.

So maybe just sending a bit of gratitude towards yourself as well for carving out some space in the dense forest of your life.

And on your next inhale just know you're inhaling.

And as you exhale you know you're exhaling.

Just taking a couple of breaths like this,

Having your mind come to rest with the body.

Just arriving and settling for your practice.

As you breathe in,

Know you're breathing in.

And as you breathe out,

Knowing that you're breathing out.

Know that your attention is a little more soft.

Just noticing what has become obvious or at least a little more clear.

Is there tension somewhere in the body holding or tightness?

Just making any small adjustments to allow yourself to feel free and light in your posture.

There's nothing worse than trying to be gentle and compassionate and still minded when all you're doing is aching.

So just notice if there's any tension or holding in the body and just take a moment to soften wherever you can.

When you're ready,

Taking your gaze on the inside of your eyelids and attention up to the forehead,

The space between your eyebrows.

And in your mind's eye,

Can you imagine yourself laying on a beach,

Facing upwards towards the sky?

You can feel the sand between your toes,

The warmth of the sun beaming down on your face,

Your arms,

Your legs,

Your torso.

It's fairly warm and you can feel the aliveness of the sun on your body,

The light sharpness to the sun.

And there's a light sea breeze.

You can smell the saltiness of the oceanic breeze drifting softly across your face.

The sound of the waves gently lapping up against the shore,

Being closer and closer to you.

Hearing the birds in the distance as they fly over,

But you've got your eyes closed.

And as you take a couple of deep breaths,

A sensation of descending into the sand beneath you on every exhale,

Just allowing the beach,

The sand to hold you.

Now for a while,

You start to hear the lapping of the water and the shore getting a little bit closer.

You feel the water just softly roll up in over your toes and ankles,

Just a light chill,

And returning back to the ocean.

Again the water comes up,

This time halfway up your shins.

And as it washes back into the ocean,

This time you feel it take with it your concept of time that there could be anywhere else you might need to be.

So as the water rushes back out into the ocean,

It takes with it this idea,

This concept of time and urgency,

And needing to make the most of it.

So as it's washed out to sea,

You feel just that little bit lighter,

A little bit softer.

Again the sensation of sinking even a little bit deeper into the sand beneath you.

Inhaling this time the water washes up all the way to your knees.

As it returns to the ocean,

You exhale and this time it takes with it one of the capes we sometimes like to wear.

The cape of having all of our things together,

Knowing what we're doing,

Being seen to be mentally strong.

Just letting the water take with it just one of the capes you might like to hold.

Inhaling and this time it washes up to your thighs.

Exhaling as it returns and taking another cape with it,

Bringing to mind another idea or identity you like to hold close and dearly.

As it washes back into the ocean,

Feeling the sense of weightlessness,

You're lighter,

You're softer,

Greater sense of ease.

Letting go of a sense of self or something that we hold close and cling onto.

Just allowing the holding of the beach in the sand to bolster you up as the water washes away all of these things we cling to.

And breath by breath the water slowly comes all the way up to your shoulders,

Neck and head.

Washing away all of your holding,

The musts,

The shoulds,

The people,

The goals,

The outcomes.

Making you lighter each time until now you're floating,

Held by the water itself.

There's no more clinging to identities or people or outcomes.

Thoughts come and they go.

Emotions come and they go.

Thoughts come and they go.

All just weather systems passing through the open blue sky of your mind.

And so you take this opportunity to rest in this great openness,

Allowing life to flow through you without holding or grabbing at it in any way.

And so you take a moment to practice laying here without needing to know,

Without needing to grasp or hold onto anything.

Resting in your own living presence.

And you may notice your mind drifting off,

Being taken somewhere else,

Somewhere other than here into a sort of virtual reality.

And if that's the case,

That's perfectly normal.

Just bring a gentle smile to your mind,

To your body,

To your heart.

Noticing where it's drifted to and then just allowing it to come back to the sensation of floating here.

Resting in the openness,

The space in between.

And so you take a moment to practice laying here without needing to grasp or hold at it in any way.

And just taking a couple of deep breaths just here.

Tummy expanding on the inhale and contracting on the exhale.

Seeing if you can notice the inhale,

The exhale and the space between.

Just for a couple of breaths.

And maybe just taking a moment to reflect on what this experience brought to you.

Did it remind you of something?

Did it teach you something?

Or did it just bring about a feeling that was comforting,

Inspiring,

Grounding?

Maybe it was just a reminder.

A reminder that you know your way back to this feeling.

Or maybe it was a sense of permission.

That it's okay to let go and to not know.

And to live and exist in this vast openness.

In the space between.

So I'll close with a reading from the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.

And just allow it to wash through you,

Touching you in the way that it will.

And bringing you back to the day ahead with a sense of renewal.

Colors blind to the eye.

Sounds deafen the ear.

Flavors numb the taste.

Thoughts weaken the mind.

Desires wither the heart.

The master observes the world.

But trust their inner vision.

They allow things to come and go.

Their heart is open as the sky.

Reviews

I really enjoyed this visualization! The moment it brought me to was wonderful!

This meditation drew me in and left me focused and tingling. My second meditation of yours with a good experience. Time to hit the follow button. Looking forward to more of your offerings. Thank you 🙏

I love this! I’m not usually good at visualization but this one was easy and joyful for me 🙏❣️

Excellent. Bookmarking this one and definitely returning to it. Thank you for this.

I loved it, as usual, though it was hard to understand what you were saying at some few specific moments. But that's just minor feedback. Thank you, friend.

I consider this a superior meditation for release and renewal. Outstanding !

Thanks Al! This was so soothing and I love the visual exercise. I will come back to this again and again.

Thanks for helping me visualise the ocean waves and being still in a flowing universe. Beautiful way to wind down from a busy week at work.

Such a powerful, healing meditation. Thank you for sharing. Bright blessings to you.

Wow such an amazing practice. I felt safe to let go, and gave myself permission to live in that space again. Thank you 🙏

Such a soothing meditation. Feeling a lightness . . .thank you.

Very helpful in calming my my racing thoughts and anxiety. Thank you🙏

Beautiful meditation to clear the mind, let go of expectations and reconnect to the present moment. Thank you 🙏

I loved that. So peaceful, gentle and nourishing. I realized that I was filling myself with the inner critic which leaves no room for the Spirit. This opened up that space. Thank you!

This meditation helped me become grounded in the present moment.

Thank you for this gentle, soothing journey. ☺️🙏🏻💜🌸💫

I shall definitely come back to this meditation practice on a regular basis. Many thanks for sharing your wisdom with us.

Perfect timing for me. Just returned to the US from Norwich, UK with a new vision I’m wanting to trust. Perfect to find this as I start my first day back. 🙏🏻

This was an emotional release for me. Thank you 🙏

So beautiful. Thank yoj