Find a comfortable position.
You can sit or lie down.
Whatever feels supportive for you right now.
Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Take a slow breath in through your nose and a long,
Gentle exhale through your mouth.
Let's do that one more time.
Take a slow breath in through your nose and a long exhale through your mouth.
Let your body begin to soften.
There's nowhere you need to go,
Nowhere you need to be,
And nothing that you need to fix.
This meditation is for the person who gives too much too often,
Who stretches themselves to meet others' needs,
Sometimes at your own expense.
You may feel torn between holding on and letting go,
Between responsibility and freedom,
Between love and self-protection.
Here we will explore letting go without losing yourself.
Bring your attention to your hands.
Notice if they feel tense,
Heavy,
Restless.
Allow them to rest gently in your lap or by your sides.
Move your attention up to your chest.
Notice if your heart feels tight,
Protected,
Or guarded.
Now feel your shoulders.
Are they hunched?
Are they tight?
Do you feel the weight of carrying too much?
Take a slow inhale in,
And imagine drawing in softness.
Maybe it's like a white cloud,
Or pink,
Or gold.
Whatever softness looks like to you,
Draw that into your body with your inhale.
Let's do it again.
Take another slow inhale,
Just imagining softness.
Now exhale.
Imagine yourself releasing tension without guilt.
Now imagine yourself standing at the edge of the ocean.
The air is calm.
You can smell the salty sea air.
You see the water stretching out in front of you,
Steady,
Vast,
And strong.
It's strong enough to hold what you no longer need to carry.
Bring to mind something you've been holding onto that feels heavy.
It might be a responsibility,
An expectation,
Or an emotional weight that was never truly yours.
You don't need to name it clearly.
Just notice how it feels in your body.
Now imagine gently placing whatever this weight is into the water.
You're not throwing it away in anger.
You're setting it down with care.
Watch as it begins to drift,
Or maybe it slowly sinks beneath the surface.
Notice how the ocean receives it,
Without effort,
Without resistance.
It doesn't cling.
As this weight,
This item,
This person,
Responsibility,
As it moves farther from you,
Quietly say to yourself,
In your mind or out loud,
I can let this go.
I can let this go.
I can let this go and not abandon myself.
Feel the space that opens in your body as you release this.
Your shoulders may soften.
Your breath may deepen.
Your body may feel relaxed.
There is a lightness that comes from no longer carrying something that was never yours to hold.
The ocean doesn't need anything from you in return.
It simply takes what you offer it and it keeps moving.
Stay here for a few breaths.
Watch what you released move farther and farther away.
It was never yours.
Now,
Place one hand on your heart and feel your own warmth.
Remind yourself,
Letting go does not make you selfish.
Setting boundaries does not make you unloving.
You are allowed to be compassionate without overextending.
Your heart is big enough for both care and protection.
Take a final slow breath in and exhale fully.
Feel the space you have created inside your body and inside your mind.
When you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
Carry this soft,
Steady presence with you throughout the rest of your day.
You can release,
You can protect,
And you can remain whole.
You are enough and you always have been,
Exactly as you are.
