Allowing & Letting Be

A practice that provides a way to make space for what we find within the body; sensations and emotions. A soft way of welcoming our felt experience. With some practice with other types of mindfulness (body can, short breath practices), this is really good for physical and emotional pain. A way of softening our grip on how we really want things to be in the body, instead of coming to them as they are.

Transcript

This is a practice called allowing and letting be.

It will take around 15 minutes.

So find somewhere comfortable in a seated or laid down posture.

I'm going to give the instructions as if you were sitting down.

Allowing the eyes to close.

Bringing awareness to this moment.

Feeling the points of contact with the surface on which you're resting and the feet on the floor.

Moving in towards breath.

Feeling that flow of breath.

Coming in.

And going out.

Knowing that we don't have to be anywhere else right now.

We don't have anything else we need to do.

Just allowing ourselves to be alongside this breath.

Noticing any response to the breath.

Perhaps any struggle.

Wishing it to be smoother or more relaxed.

And if we can just acknowledging that attitude and letting it go.

Coming back to the breath just as it is right now.

Breathing in.

And breathing out.

Knowing that this breath is just as it's meant to be right now.

Be that shallow,

Ragged or deeper and smooth.

With the next in breath we're bringing our awareness out to the torso.

To the space from the seat bones to the collar bones.

Breathing in.

And breathing out.

Allowing all the sensations that are present in this area.

The spine.

Pelvis and lumbar region.

Abdomen.

The upper chest.

Rib cage.

Shoulder blades and tops of shoulders.

Just allowing those sensations to register in awareness.

Noticing any struggle.

Any pushing away of certain sensations.

Or perhaps pulling towards of other sensations.

As we notice any battles that are going on internally.

Just allowing ourselves to let go of these if that feels okay.

Coming back into the body with the breath.

Breathing in.

And breathing out.

With the next in breath bringing awareness down to the hips.

And through both legs along thighs to knees.

Calves and shins to ankles.

To feet and toes.

Allowing awareness to rest here.

The space from the hips to the tips of the toes.

So I notice here any bracing.

Any wishing certain sensations perhaps discomfort or pain weren't present.

And allowing those to be there if that feels okay.

If we can just using the breath to see if we can let go of any shoulds,

Musts or oughts.

Breathing in and breathing out.

With the next in breath bringing our awareness back up to the hips.

And along the spine to the shoulders.

Moving down through shoulders,

Tops of arms and elbows to wrists and hands.

So breathing our awareness all the way along from shoulder to fingertips.

Noticing any tension,

Any holding.

Just acknowledging any struggle that we find in this space between shoulders to fingertips.

Breathing in and bringing perhaps that attitude of letting go of this struggle.

If that feels okay for us today.

Breathing in and bringing awareness along the top part of the spine and around the throat.

To the head and scalp and the face,

The forehead,

Eyebrows,

Eyes,

Nose,

Cheeks,

Lips,

Tongue and teeth.

The jaw,

The hinge of the jaw and the ears.

Allowing sensations that are present here to raise in awareness.

Do I notice any pushing away,

Any struggle?

If we can just breathing in,

Just allowing that to be there.

If it feels okay just letting go.

If any tension in the attitude just bringing a softening towards what we find in this upper part of the body today.

Breathing in and bringing our awareness out to the whole space of the body.

From the crown of the head to the soles of the feet.

Breathing in with this sense of allowing whatever is present to be there.

We may have noticed dislike or even anger to certain parts of the body.

Perhaps something that's not working as it should be right now.

Just bringing with the in-breath the attitude of allowing the body to be just as it is.

Breathing in and breathing out.

And with the next in-breath it's almost as if in the air around us.

There were a feeling of compassion,

Of kindness,

Acceptance or warmth.

And if it feels okay for you today then the invitation is there to breathe this in.

Breathing this feeling into the lungs.

And then allowing it to move through the body.

To go wherever the attention is drawn for you in the space of the body.

Without judgement.

Without the mind becoming overly involved.

If we find lots of thoughts being generated then just coming back to feeling the breath.

Just being with this breath.

Moving in and moving out.

Each new in-breath a chance to be mindful.

The invitation there to breathe in this feeling of kindness and acceptance.

A sense of permission to be just who we are right now.

Breathing that into the lungs.

And perhaps we notice a feeling of warmth or another sensation.

Or maybe even get a sense of a colour or a texture to the breath.

Breathing in this feeling of acceptance,

Of kindness,

Of allowing ourselves to be just as we are right now.

This feeling fills the lungs.

And then in its own time moves around the body.

To any areas of pain or discomfort.

Or any other difficulty that's in your awareness.

Bodily sensations right now.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Allowing this whole space of the body.

Some time just to be alongside the breath.

This breath for you that contains kindness,

Acceptance,

Compassion.

And if we wish and if this feels okay today.

We can imagine on the out-breath we're letting go.

Exhaling away anything which no longer serves us.

Which we feel it's okay to let go of.

And you might see this out-breath taking on another form or colour.

Or a different feeling for you.

But just simply allowing,

Giving ourselves permission to breathe away.

To let go.

To release and let things be.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Just allowing this process to be however feels okay for you today.

Trusting that you know what's best for you.

Coming back to the breath at any point.

To reconnect.

Gather awareness.

Returning if we wish to this sense of breathing in a gentler breath.

Of letting go on the out-breath.

Breathing in and bringing awareness to that whole space of the body.

From the crown of the head to the soles of the feet.

With the breath in the midst of the space.

Moving in and moving out.

And just noticing how we feel as we're getting towards the end of this practice.

This idea of giving ourselves permission.

Of allowing the body,

Feelings,

Perhaps thoughts,

Just to be as they are right now.

Accepting any struggle that we find still present.

There is no right or wrong way to do this practice.

Just a chance to be alongside ourselves in this present moment.

To notice how we really are.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Staying with this sense of the posture of the body from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet.

Feeling the breath in the midst of this space.

Moving in and moving out.

Having a few more mindful breaths until you hear the bell.

Which will let you know that this practice has finished.

Very gently starting to bring some movement back into the body.

And if you've had your eyes closed.

Just take your time slowly opening them.

Bringing awareness back to the shapes and colours.

The light,

The shade and texture of the room that's around you.

And moving forward from this practice.

Just taking this sense of allowing,

Of letting things be.

For us to move with us through the rest of the day.