Letting Go Meditation - Release Whatever You're Holding

This meditation invites you to soften and surrender using breath awareness and visualization. Imagine a gentle stream carrying away stress, negativity, and any weight you've been holding. With each breath, you’ll create space for ease, peace, and deep relaxation, allowing sleep to come naturally.

Transcript

I invite you to find a comfortable position now.

You might choose to sit with your back supported or you might want to lie down allowing the surface beneath you to hold your body completely so you can fully let go.

If it feels comfortable you can gently close the eyes or you can leave them open with a soft gaze and let's take a moment now to notice the sensations of the body resting here.

How does it feel to allow ourselves to pause,

To settle?

Okay let's begin.

I invite you now to bring awareness to the breath,

Noticing the inhale,

Noticing the exhale.

Without trying to change anything about the breath we're simply noticing how the body is naturally breathing.

Now we might notice an urge to direct the breath or to control the breath in some way and that's completely normal.

For now seeing if we can simply allow the breath to flow exactly as it is,

Allowing it to move freely moment by moment.

How is the body breathing right now?

Is it slow or rapid,

Deep or shallow?

Maybe we're breathing into the chest or perhaps into the stomach.

Is the inhale longer than the exhale or is the exhale longer than the inhale?

There's no need to change anything,

We're just noticing the breath as it is.

Now we're not so much watching the breath as we're experiencing it,

Feeling what it's like to breathe.

Maybe we can feel the cool air entering the nostrils as we breathe in,

Noticing the lungs,

The chest,

The stomach expanding and then as the breath changes direction we might notice the body softening,

Relaxing,

Gently releasing.

We're letting go of tension,

Letting go of any resistance and if the mind begins to wander or if any restlessness arises in the body that's completely normal.

Whenever we realize that we're lost in thought or distraction we simply bring our awareness back to the breath,

Back to that next inhale,

Back to that next exhale.

As we breathe in we might imagine breathing in calm,

Ease or lightness and as we breathe out we imagine letting go of tension,

Negativity or heaviness.

With each breath in we're inviting in something supportive,

Something nourishing and with each breath out we're releasing anything we no longer need.

Sometimes when stress and negativity build up they show up in the body as tightness or restlessness and this can make the breath feel short or uneven.

But when we slow down the exhale just slightly we let the body know that it's safe to relax.

This works by activating the vagus nerve which signals the parasympathetic nervous system,

Your body's natural relaxation system.

It lets the body know that it's okay to release tension and let go.

So now for the next minute or so I invite you to gently lengthen your out-breath,

Making sure that the exhalation is longer than the inhalation.

A simple way to do this is to count the breath.

For instance we might breathe in for a count of three and breathe out for a count of six.

Let's try it together for a couple of rounds and and I'll let you do some on your own at your own pace.

Breathing in two three breathing out two three four five six.

Breathing in two three breathing out two three four five six.

Breathing in two three breathing out two three four five six.

Now it's up to you what you count to,

Whatever feels comfortable.

There's no need to be precise and if counting feels unnatural you can simply focus on making the exhale a little longer than the inhale.

Imagining that with each out-breath you're releasing a little more tension,

A little more stress,

A quiet for a few moments so you can take a few breaths on your own.

As you continue to control the breath notice how the body feels.

When we take deeper breaths we might notice tension creeping in,

Especially on the in-breath.

If that happens see if you can soften the breath,

Maybe pulling it back by 10 or 20 percent,

Not breathing in so deeply and allowing the in-breath to feel light and gentle.

And as we continue to breathe let's notice how the body is responding.

Is there any sense of heaviness easing?

Any tension softening?

Are the forehead and the jaw relaxed?

Are the neck and the shoulders soft?

Is the stomach at ease?

Already some of us might be starting to notice small shifts,

Perhaps a sense of spaciousness opening up or a feeling of warmth or tingling spreading through the body.

Maybe we can notice the body beginning to release,

Letting go of stress,

Negativity or any weight we've been carrying breath by breath.

And now whenever we're ready allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm.

Noticing how the body is breathing now.

Is the breath softer?

Slower maybe?

We're just noticing.

We're feeling the cool air entering the nostrils as we breathe in,

Noticing how the lungs,

Chest and stomach expand.

And as we breathe out noticing the warm air leaving the nostrils,

Feeling the body soften,

Relax and let go.

With each out-breath we might imagine releasing more of what no longer serves us.

Letting go of tension,

Letting go of negativity,

Letting go of anything we don't need to carry in this moment.

If we notice the mind wandering,

Perhaps to the past,

To worries about the future or even to everyday thoughts and to-do lists,

That's perfectly normal.

The mind tends to drift,

Especially when we're holding stress or negativity.

This is simply the mind's way of trying to process or fix things.

But often this kind of thinking can add to the weight we're carrying.

So as soon as we notice that our mind has wandered,

Gently guiding our attention back to the breath.

There's no need to judge ourself or feel frustrated.

Instead we can see this as an act of kindness.

Gently,

Patiently,

Bringing our focus back to this moment.

Back to that next inhale and back to that next exhale.

Breathing in calm,

Breathing out negativity,

Breathing in ease,

Breathing out tension.

Softening a little more,

Releasing a little more.

Now that we've spent some time observing the breath,

I invite you to take this moment to gently explore the idea of letting go with a visualization exercise,

Helping us to release any stress,

Tension or negativity that might still be lingering.

I invite you to imagine a small stream flowing gently nearby.

The water is clear and calm,

Sparkling in the light.

This stream represents a safe space,

A place where we can release anything we no longer need to carry.

As we breathe in,

You might imagine drawing in calm,

Ease or lightness.

And as we breathe out,

You might imagine stress or tension leaving the body,

Flowing out like a soft mist or a light,

Whisp of smoke,

Carried effortlessly into the stream.

If we like,

We might even give it a colour,

Making it easier to see as it leaves us.

And as the stress or tension touches the water,

You can imagine the stream carrying it away,

Dissolving it completely into the current.

Whether we're imagining the stream,

Focusing on sensations or simply breathing,

Let's allow this process to feel easy and effortless.

Now if there's a particular area of the body that feels tight or heavy,

Maybe the chest,

Shoulders,

Jaw,

You might imagine stress flowing directly from that area into the stream,

Or softening with each exhale.

Feeling the lightness growing within us,

As if space is opening up where tension used to be.

And if the mind feels clear and the body feels light,

We can simply rest here,

Enjoying the stillness.

With each breath,

We're inviting ease,

Peace and freedom into the body and mind.

Breathing in calm and clarity,

And breathing out,

Releasing all that feels heavy.

And as this practice comes to an end,

Knowing that you can come back here anytime,

This place of calm,

Relaxation and release.

Let's take a moment now to notice how the body feels and how the mind feels.

Maybe we notice a sense of lightness or maybe the breath feels a little softer,

Perhaps the body a little more at ease,

Or perhaps you're still holding on to some stress or tension and that's perfectly okay too.

Some days are easier than others and the most important thing is that we've shown up for ourselves today,

Creating this space for care and kindness.

Now if you're feeling tender,

Tired or overwhelmed,

I encourage you to be gentle with yourself.

Try to take it slow and if possible,

Leave anything that can wait until tomorrow.

Allow today to be an opportunity to nurture yourself however that looks for you,

Whether that's resting,

Taking a slow walk or simply doing something that brings you joy.

Letting go isn't always easy and sometimes it doesn't happen all at once.

It's a practice of returning to ourselves,

Moment by moment and releasing what no longer serves us.

And it's important to remember that life's challenges,

Our stress,

Emotions and even negativity are all part of being human.

Some days feel lighter while others weigh us down and that's okay.

Letting go doesn't mean erasing what we've been through,

It means creating space for growth and new possibilities.

Let's begin to bring small movements back into the body.

Perhaps we can wiggle our fingers and toes or gently roll the shoulders.

We might like to stretch the arms or legs or simply take a deep breath in and out to reawaken the body.

And whenever we're ready,

Gently opening the eyes,

Slowly allowing the light back in and taking a moment to notice the room around us.

Congratulate yourself for taking time out to care for your mind and body today.

I hope this sense of lightness and freedom you've cultivated here stays with you as you move through the rest of your day.

Or if you're listening to this before bed,

Sweet dreams.

Reviews

I love your meditations. Your voice is so calming and helps me to relax and distress before sleeping. Thank you so much

🙏💖🙏 thank you so much. My anxiety was high, your soothing voice and guidance helped me to self regulate. Many blessings and appreciation ✨✨✨

Relaxing and releasing, always enjoyed the concept of ‘just observing the breadth’, a very elegant way to be with the breadth. Thank you Chibs, have always enjoyed your guidance. Namaste.