Welcome.
In the wise words of psychotherapist Sheldon Kopp,
We often prefer the control of guaranteed unhappiness over the uncertainty of possible happiness,
Perceived control or openness to the reality of uncertainty.
So here let's practice releasing the control of guaranteed unhappiness and instead open ourselves to uncertainty,
To the unknown,
To the native land of happiness.
Now if you're comfortable doing so,
You can allow your eyes to close and feel into the energy of allowing,
Allowing the eyes to close.
Not necessarily closing them,
But allowing them to close and allowing the area of the eyes to soften,
To release,
To let go of tension,
Of any squinting,
And allowing them to just be.
And now let's move this allowing energy into the rest of your body,
Like liquid,
Moving down through every muscle fiber and bone,
Allowing any tension that's here to release.
If it can,
No need to force anything here.
You might take a few deep inhales and exhales and maybe even tighten things up on the inhale and then release them on the exhale.
This can help with a deeper form of releasing.
Breathing in and tightening everything up.
Breathing out and letting go completely.
Letting go of whatever is holding on in the body and in the mind.
You might imagine yourself now as one big hand.
Your whole body,
Your whole being,
As a hand.
When the hand grasps for control,
It is closed into a tight fist.
And when it lets go of control,
It is open.
The closed fist offers me the feeling of control,
But it also means I cannot receive anything.
The open hand feels vulnerable,
And it is.
But it also allows me the chance to receive.
To receive love.
To receive connection.
To receive the gift of being alive.
So let's take some more deep inhales and exhales.
And along with each exhale,
Imagine yourself as a hand that is opening up again and again.
Gently,
Vulnerably,
Ready and willing to receive whatever is here.
Opening,
Releasing,
Letting go.
Opening in the stomach,
In the chest,
In the forehead,
In the throat,
In the whole body and mind.
Expanding,
Releasing,
Letting go.
Breathing out and letting the breath go completely.
Like an offering.
Then just waiting for the inhale to come back in on its own time.
Out of your control.
Like waves in the ocean.
Coming into shore and moving back into the ocean.
The breath connects you to the universal ocean of energy.
The hand opening,
Releasing,
And welcoming in this ocean of energy.
I welcome whatever is here.
I welcome and embrace what is here.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for this chance to be alive.
Breathing out and opening the hand again and again.
Leaning in,
Fully feeling whatever is here.
And maybe even savoring it.
Inhaling it.
Feeling the universal ocean of raw energy.
And now,
Whenever you're ready,
No need to force it.
Just wait until the moment feels right.
If your eyes were closed,
You can allow them to open.
And if you like,
You can take a few more deep inhales and exhales.
Maybe notice whatever tension has tightened back up under the surface.
And with each exhale,
You can release it again.
Again and again.
Like waves rising and falling.
The chronic habit energy of control will continue to tighten back up out of habit.
And each exhale throughout the day is a chance to release it again and again and again.
So you might use this visual in your daily life.
The closed fist and the open hand.
Whenever you notice the closed,
Tight energy of resistance,
You might experiment with taking a few deep breaths and adjusting the body and mind to open up like a hand.
Embracing uncertainty.
Embracing the unknown.
Embracing reality.
Embracing possible happiness.
Here at the end,
I encourage you to repeat this practice.
Letting go is a skill,
And these sessions are reps.
Repetitions of letting go practice to help you shift out of defensive control and into receptive openness.
This is the only way to truly be alive.
So until next time,
Thanks for joining me here.
