True Letting Go, With Progressive Muscle Relaxation (Live)

Join me on a deeply relaxing journey of letting go. This soothing, calming meditation will ease stress and anxiety and help you sleep. This Yoga Nidra style meditation includes a body scan and time just to be. It will aid a profound release of physical, mental, emotional and energetic tension. Music by Peder B. Helland. This is a recording of a live streamed class, so the audio isn't perfect.

Transcript

Let's just ease into our time of quietude together. Let's take our time. Let's slow down. Let's let go of all the busyness of our day. And check in with what lies beneath. All the noise. All those surface layers of busyness. If we give ourselves some time and space to let all of that settle, We touch upon something really meaningful. A resource that is always there. But that gets covered up. And so let's take this journey together really slowly. Perhaps giving our body a taste of tension and relaxation so that it really feels the difference between the two. Squeezing all of the muscles in your legs really tightly. Feel the sensation of gripping. Holding. Really intensify that sensation. And then really slowly let that tension come undone. Allowing the muscles to soften. To release their grip. To let the legs meet the surface beneath. And to give up their weight to that support. And then raising our hips just slightly and really squeezing the buttocks. Feel the sensation of gripping. How it feels to hold on really tightly. And then ever so slowly giving up that grip. The muscles gently unfurling. Hips settling back down. Gently unfurling. Hips settling back down. And completely releasing their weight. And then pressing your lower back into the surface beneath. Muscles contracted. Tight. Constricted. How does that feel? And then a really slow release. And each time we feel that we are at the end of the letting go. Feel how energetically that letting go continues. You can feel the echo of the release. Tensing your abdomen. Your chest. Holding and gripping. Tense all of the muscles in your back. Squeeze shoulder blades together. Holding. And then really slowly let the muscles soften. Let your upper body return to the support beneath. And completely abandon the weight. Feeling how the undoing continues. Like ripples. On the surface of a pond. The letting go. Going deeper and deeper. Wider and wider. Raising your arms slightly. Pressing fingers into palms. Squeezing a really tight grip. Tight fist. Lower arms. Upper arms. Holding to almost the point of trembling. Feel the intensity of that grip. And then really slowly let the grip come undone. Fingers unfurling. Arms floating back down. Melting into the support beneath. Completely releasing their weight. Hunching shoulders right up to ears. Feeling that grip. That holding. Feeling it intensely. And then really slowly let your shoulders soften and sink back down. Continuing their descent. Even when it feels like they've gone as far as they can go. Perhaps they can drop just a little more. Lifting your head just slightly. Feeling its weight. And then very gently let your head return to the support beneath. And completely give up the weight of your head. Feeling any tension behind eyes. Noticing it. Imagining the muscle of your mind like a really tight clenched fist. Gently coming undone. Expanding. Gently coming undone. Expanding. Opening. And settling. And then take a moment to feel what's going on internally. Notice the presence of any internal tension. Perhaps a gripping around the heart or the abdomen. All the ways that we contract within. Just noticing. Imagining all of that internal holding beginning to soften. To melt. As all of these stories of your day. The world. Start to drop away. Just for now. As all of the inner and outer tension. Starts to dissolve. Part of the body. Part of the mind. Without you having to do anything. Just being here. Right now is enough. Maybe placing your hands over your heart. If that feels comfortable. For you to connect. With your heart. Yourself. The essence of you. And also to let that touch convey. Your commitment to showing up here this evening. For your human self. With all its trials and tribulations. To hold a space. For all of that humanness. To let it be. To drop. All the self-improvement projects. To just let yourself be as you are. Connecting with your breath. Starting to let it go. Just that little bit deeper. Into your belly. Giving each exhalation away. With a really long. Soft. Releasing sigh. And really receiving. The words. The essence of this beautiful poem. By Monza Nav. Let the words touch you in whatever way is meaningful. To you. The poem is called Autumn. Autumn. Urge me. To drop. Every leaf. I don't need. Every task. Or habit. I repeat. Past its season. Every sorrow. I rehearse. Each unfulfilled hope. I recall. Every person or possession. To which I cling. Until my branches. Are bare. Until I hold fast. To nothing. To nothing. Blow me about. In your wild iron sky. Crush all that's puffed up. Fluff. All that in me needs to go to seed. Send my shadows. To sleep. Tutor me. Through straining night winds. In the passion of moan and pant. The gift. Of letting go. At the moment of most abundance. In the way of falling apples. Figs. Maple leaves. Pecans. Open my eyes. To your languid breath. To your breath. To your breath. To your breath. To your languid light. Let me stare in your face. Until I see no difference. Between sore. And fall. Until I recognize eternity. In single breaths. Faint whispers. Of cool air. Through lungs. Show me the way. Of dying. In glorious boldness. Yellow. Gold. Orange. Rust. Red. Burgundy. So just allowing those words. To sink in. To let them touch. Whatever within you. Those words speak to. The season of autumn can teach us so much. About life. About letting go. Change. Transition. Death and rebirth. So just opening to the energy of the season. That we are in right now. And for whatever it has to teach you. It's not easy. To let go. It's not easy to embrace change. To embrace death. And be in that period. Before rebirth. It's not easy. But autumn. Nature. Shows us the way. It doesn't cling on. It gives up. And it's most abundant. There's such a valuable. Lesson for us. In this season. And I'm just. Inviting us to open. To whatever that means to you. As we take this journey. Around the body. Letting go of all that's not needed. All that holds us back. All that keeps us stuck. And let's start. By opening. By opening. To the recognition. Of eternity. In single breaths. Right now. Give your full attention. To the breath that you are. Breathing right now. Feeling it directly. Allowing your body. To continue. Taking as many. Of those low. Really slow breaths. As it needs. Notice how. Thousands of times a day. We let go of the exhalation. Without even. Thinking about it or trying. Something in us knows how to let go. Let's trust that. Notice how the breath moves. In your body. And can you feel it? How does it feel? Noticing the temperature. Of the in-breath. The temperature of the out-breath. The way. That your body is being breathed. Right now. How every. Breath out. Is. Life's natural way. Of releasing. Of letting go. Every out-breath. An opportunity. To just let everything go. That is not needed. Without analysing that. Or figuring out. Just. Letting go. Trusting. What is ready to let go. Noticing. How your body moves. Receiving. And giving back constantly. This constant. Opening. Receiving. And this constant letting go. And right at the heart. Of each breath. At the moment. Before. Each breath turns. We touch eternity. Notice those moments. Between each breath. Falling into that eternal. Openness. From which each new breath. Is born. And into which each breath returns. Welcome the presence of sounds. Just noting them. Not getting involved. Just aware that they are there. Aware of the presence of body. Body alive with senses. Sensations. Tuning in. To the felt sense of body. Just as it is showing up right now. True letting go. Is not a pushing away. Is not a forcing. There is no manipulation in true letting go. Feel. The whole body. Whole body. Might you release. A little more of the weight. What right now is ready. To drop away. Still allowing your body. To tell its story. To welcome whatever arises. To give it space. And to let it go. Nothing to cling to. Nothing to wait for. Nothing to wait for. Dropping all expectations. And just be here now. With the immediate feeling of body. Whole of face. Softening. Eyes resting right back. Space between eyebrows. Softening and expanding. Brain giving up its weight. As we sink a little deeper into the realm of not doing. Not having to figure things out. The realm of no conclusions. About anything. Just wide open to now. To here. Hinges of the jaw. Slackening. Inside of the mouth. Softening. Throat settling down. The whole back of the body. Head. Shoulders. Buttocks. Thighs. Calves. Heels. Sinking a little deeper. Into the support beneath. Into the support beneath. The whole front of body. Softening. Opening. Touched. By eternity. And that touch. Melting. All that is contracted. And tense. Arms giving up their weight. The sensation. Palms of hands. Right now in this moment. Be with. The current sensation. Palms. Of hands. The immediate feeling. That's there right now. Palms of hands. See if you can stay. No judgement. Whenever you leave. Just a commitment to returning. Again and again. To now. Palms of hands. Fingers. Tingling with life. Heart beating. Lungs breathing. Hips offering up their weight. Legs. Softening. Just a little more. Beautiful friends. Let's rest here together. In the openness. But aware presence. Giving mind and body all the space they need. To empty out. Of whatever is not needed right now. But know yourself. As you rest here quietly. As that vast openness. Which holds. And welcomes it all. Without any clinging. Directing. Or manipulation. You're just here. Just being. Just being. Just being. Taste the sweetness. Of your own being. Aware. Without any trying. Present. With no effort whatsoever. Here you are. As life unfolds within you. Constantly changing. On the surface. But there's the recognition. Of that within you. That doesn't change. But is. Constant and true. Throughout every season of your life. The ups and the downs. The coming and the going. Which remains. Which remains. Unchanged. Untouched. No separation. Between. The movement and the stillness. Just the recognition. Of who and what. You are. Beyond all the stories. Beyond all that comes and goes. Feel the presence. Of body. Alive. Breath moving. Heart beating. Whole body. Feel where body. Meets the surface beneath. Feel the touch. Of air. On skin. The sound. Of this voice. Moving. Within you. A wide open. Aware presence. Like a warm bath. That all can. Rest in. Let your breath. Deepen again. Going just a little bit deeper. Down into your belly. Than usual. Followed. By a lovely. Long. Soft. Releasing sigh. Going right to the very end. Of the breath. Feeling. Each breath. At the tip of the nostrils. A cool. Soothing. In-breath. The warm. Soothing. Out-breath. Just noticing. And taking a moment. To call forward. From your heart. A prayer for your life. A listening. To what wants. To emerge. And come into. Being. What is longing. To come forth. Hearing. The whisper. Of your soul. Trusting it. Hearing it. With every cell of your body. Naming it. Acknowledging it. Calling forward. From the vast mystery. Whatever help. You may need in your life. Calling it forward. Trusting that it will come. Trusting. That grace. Is eternally present. Even if that makes no sense. To our mind. Calling forward. The gratitude. Within your heart. For all. That you are so blessed to have. Right now. Noting and naming. All that you are grateful for. Silently. Feel the sensation of gratitude. Lighting up every cell of your body. Who are you grateful for? Bowing down. To the abundance. All around us. Bowing down. To the lessons that. Nature. Nature teaches us. I bow down in gratitude. For your presence. Here. In. The medicine circle. That we're holding together. Thank you. Check in with what your body needs right now. Whether that is movement. Or continued rest. And if and when. Your body is ready to move. Giving your body complete freedom. To move in whatever way just feels good. Remaining anchored. In your ground of being. As we transition. From this shared space. Continuing to breathe. Slowly. And deeply.

Reviews

Thank you for yet another beautifully tender, deeply restorative guided practice, Amanda 🙏🏻

I'd love to find out how to search tracks by date, but haven't worked out if this is possible? Are there other more recent ones you can recommend?

And I will look out for your live sessions too. I'm grateful to have found your offerings here 💖

Dear Amanda,

Thank you so much for uploading this meditation here. All of your work comes with such a divine presence. It meant a great deal that you referred to ' the infinite' . The poem you chose at the beginning was perfect.
I hope I am brave enough to carry out my prayer for life.
There is something incredibly profound and inspiring about all your meditations. For me they are far and away the best as they all have a unique quality.
Love Shuman