Welcome,
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Today,
I want to talk a little bit about letting go.
And this particular meditation is based on a live session I did recently.
Letting go is a life-changing act that can lead to inner peace and joy and tranquility.
But it's also one of the hardest things to do,
And I know that from experience.
Now,
As I talk,
Before we get into meditation,
I want you to think of the things that you're hanging on to.
And I'd like you to picture each one of those things as weights that are hanging on your clothes.
And right now,
I'm just going to list some of the things that people need to let go of.
And when you hear yourself,
Just add a weight.
Remember,
Letting go isn't about forgetting.
It's about loosening the grip so that there's space for growth,
For healing,
And authenticity.
So some of the things that people hang on to,
Emotional baggage,
Guilt over your past choices,
Especially those you can't change,
Which is most choices.
Shame tied to old versions of themselves.
Resentment from unresolved conflicts or betrayals.
Perhaps unexpressed grief that's masked as strength or detachment.
There's also limiting beliefs where you're constantly thinking,
I'm not enough.
I'm not worthy.
I'm not lovable.
Another thing people need to let go of is thinking that success must look a certain way.
Or that it's too late to start over or to change.
Something else you need to let go of is thinking that you have to please everyone in order to be accepted.
This is particularly common in this age of social media.
You want to get everybody's likes and their hearts.
Another thing that people need to let go of are unhelpful patterns.
Perfectionism that stifles your creativity and your compassion.
Or overthinking that dulls your intuition and your presence.
Another thing that people need to let go of is avoiding emotions that need to be faced.
Or over-identifying with a particular role,
Like he's the fixer and she's the tough one.
Another thing that so many people are guilty of holding on to are attachments to the past.
Old relationships that have run their course that you just can't let go.
Or outdated goals or dreams that no longer align with what you want.
Nostalgia that distorts how things really are.
Another thing people need to let go of are regrets that loop without resolution.
We need to let go of fear of rejection.
Fear of change,
Even when growth is calling.
And fear of failure that prevents us from trying.
And there's also the fear of being alone that keeps toxic connections alive.
Now if you're like most people,
You're going to have a lot of weights hanging on those clothes.
And those weights weigh you down.
Like an anchor on a boat,
They drag at you.
They keep you in place and they stop you from moving forward.
We hang on to things.
Things our parents said about us or to us.
Things our friends said.
Things our coworkers said.
We're haunted by things we didn't do.
And also by things that we did do.
But in fact,
All of those things are in the past.
They're done.
They're over.
And hanging on to them is like hanging weights from your clothes.
Close your eyes now and let's begin to get in touch with our breath.
We're just breathing in and breathing out.
One breath at a time.
As we begin to settle in,
Let's scan our body.
Relax your face.
Unfurl your brow and unclench your jaw.
Relax your neck.
Relax your shoulders.
Let your arms and hands relax.
Look for any tension in your chest and belly.
Relax your legs and your feet.
And as you begin to relax,
Let's focus even more on our breath.
Our breath is our anchor.
It's here for us in all moments.
And our breath is like a river as it flows.
Flowing in and flowing out.
Slow and steady and sure.
I just want you to continue to breathe and listen to my voice and think about what I'm saying.
Our lives are filled with rushing and overcommitting and multitasking,
And they're caffeine-fueled.
What we need to do is slow ourselves down.
We need to be kind to ourselves.
We need to make time for the things that are important.
We can learn a lot from nature.
Look at the birds or look at dogs.
They don't concern themselves with the things they didn't do.
And they don't concern themselves with the things they did do.
A bird never worries about the nuts or berries they didn't get and the dog about the treat they didn't eat.
They're happy with their life just as it is.
They don't hold on to things,
And we need to be more like that.
We're overstimulated from devices,
And it creates a constant state of anxiety and mental noise.
You know how I love quotes,
And I love this one from the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu who said,
When I let go of what I am,
I become what I might be.
Now let's focus even more on our breath.
No need to change it.
No need to control it.
Just observe it.
Notice where you feel your breath,
A cool sensation in your nose as you breathe in,
Or the movement of your chest and belly as you breathe in and breathe out.
Feel the rise of your chest,
And then feel the fall.
Each breath is arriving like a wave and receding like the tide.
If you hear sounds in the room,
Just let them go.
And if you have thoughts,
Just let them go as well.
Our thoughts are just like clouds in the sky or waves on a lake or leaves floating down a river.
They needn't concern us when we meditate.
Just continue to breathe,
And don't force anything.
Let your breath flow like a river,
Sure and tranquil and calm.
Just breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
And then the next.
And then the next.
And that is the present moment.
And as you're breathing,
Silently say to yourself,
I am here.
I am safe.
And I am allowed to pause.
I am here.
I am safe.
And I am allowed to pause.
And as you continue to breathe,
Sitting there relaxing and just breathing,
Imagine each inhale drawing in stillness.
And each exhale is releasing clutter and noise and rush.
Now,
If you will,
I'd like you to bring to mind something you've been holding on to,
A physical thing,
A friendship,
A relationship,
Whatever it might be,
An idea,
Tension,
Pressure,
You decide.
And right in this moment,
You don't need to fix it or change it.
Just notice it.
And then say gently,
I release the need to carry this.
And you can do this when you meditate at home.
I'd like you to picture it like autumn leaves caught in a breeze,
Drifting away,
Not discarded,
Simply no longer clung to.
You are not defined by your to-do list,
By notifications or by urgency,
And certainly not by the things that you hold on to that weigh you down.
You are vast.
You are spacious.
You are allowed to be quiet.
Now,
Let the breath just flow at its normal pace.
There's nothing to do.
There's nothing to chase.
This silence is a gift.
Let it fill the room that you're in.
Let this silence settle in your body.
In this moment,
You are free to simply be.
Feel your breath.
Feel your body.
Take in a deep breath through your nose.
Let it out through your mouth,
Letting out a sigh.
As we come to a close,
Open your eyes and come back into the room.
Wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch and feel how good it is to breathe.
How good it is to be alive.
How good it is to be here in this moment.
Hopefully you feel lighter as you let things go,
As you release anything that doesn't serve you.
Carry this stillness with you,
Not as something fragile,
But as a quiet strength beneath the surface.
And moving forward,
Anything that does not serve you,
Anything that does not make your life better,
Let it go.
Let it go.
I hope this has been a beneficial session.
Till next time.
