Hi friends,
Happy day,
Whatever day it might be that you are listening to this.
This is Kimberly,
The founder of Flourish Meditation,
And I'm so happy to chat with you for a minute today,
Share with you a practice,
And then along with this,
I will be sharing some journal prompts for moving into the month of May.
Something that's been on my mind a ton lately,
And if you read my writing that's been coming out,
Then you might be aware of this,
Is the idea of the practice of letting go.
More specifically,
Maybe the practice of letting go before you're really ready.
When it's not easy,
When it's more necessary,
When the benefit reaches more deeply,
When the time is right,
Even if your instinct is to grip a little bit tighter.
So let's practice.
Close your eyes,
Find a comfortable place to be.
You might be sitting in your car or sitting outside with some sunshine on your face,
Lying down in a cozy spot,
Whatever suits you today,
Finding stillness.
With the eyes closed,
We have the opportunity to more easily turn inward.
So take these first few moments just to land within yourself.
How are you today?
Who are you today?
Deep breath in,
Big breath out.
Make some sound one more time and a little bit louder.
Deep breath in,
Big,
Loud breath out.
Let your breath return to an easy,
Natural rhythm.
Let your body soften.
Let your thoughts slow.
With the arrival of spring comes a great awakening.
The earth is coming back to life.
Flowers bloom and then fall,
Making way for the leaves to come in.
The sun shines more often.
Everything is brighter and more vivid.
Even the bees I've been noticing out my window are so active and so many in number.
There's life everywhere.
What is it in this season for you that is making you feel most alive?
What is awakening something within you?
What is it that's reaching into you and pulling out the very best,
Most colorful self?
What is it that's pulling you the other direction?
What is weighing on you or holding you back?
What is keeping you from stepping into that brightness,
That joy,
That dance?
How does it feel to consider letting go of what it is that's holding you back from being so fully alive?
Are you ready to let go?
Or what are the hesitations,
The fears?
Imagine that you're holding something precious in your hand,
Maybe in the cupped palms of your hands.
You're holding something that's very precious to you.
And imagine that that thing begins to slip out of your palms,
Out of your grasp.
Your natural inclination is to kind of startle and reach,
Try to rebalance or catch that thing.
So what if the key to letting go is to stop seeing the thing as precious?
I know that's easier said than done.
I'm in that very process myself,
Holding on to hurt and resentment and anger.
And along with those things,
A level of righteousness that what had been done to me was wrong.
Letting go of that feels like giving permission that I don't want to give.
I'm holding on to those precious things that make me feel better for having been wronged.
But what if those things aren't precious?
What if they were needed before and now they aren't?
What if now they're simply in the way?
Can I let go?
Can you let go?
Something to think about as this particular meditation practice,
This reflection comes to an end is that each practice doesn't have to have a happy conclusion,
A closed loop.
It's okay if the questions that arise in your meditation practice stay with you without answers,
Without finality.
So whatever came up for you here today,
I invite you to just keep sitting with it.
Keep revisiting it.
Watch it change shape for you as time goes on,
As spring continues to bloom,
As the temperatures rise and the leaves grow.
Carry this forward with you.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
Roll out your shoulders.
Begin to move once again.
And then we'll close with the same type of two deep,
Loud breaths we began with.
Inhale,
Fill up.
Exhale,
Ah.
One more time.
Deep inhale.
Big exhale.
Let yourself sound silly,
Full,
Loud,
Anything at all.
Let the sound come.
Let your breath return to normal once more.
And whenever you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Thank you for practicing with me.
