Hello,
My name is Olly.
Letting go doesn't mean forgetting.
It just means we stop carrying the energy of the past into the present.
Yom Pueblo.
Today's practice will guide us through a loving-kindness meditation,
Also known as metta in Nepali language.
Through this practice,
We create a safe space within ourselves to explore what it means to truly surrender.
During the practice,
You may notice some resistance.
That is natural.
Everything that surfaces is an opportunity to practice letting go.
As the poet Dinah Foulds wrote,
Resist,
And the tide will sweep you off your feet.
Allow,
And grace will carry you to higher ground.
Settle into a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down.
Let your body become heavy,
Supported by the earth beneath you.
Soften your gaze or close your eyes.
Take a couple of centering breaths,
Releasing any tension on each exhale.
Invite your body to relax completely,
Starting from the crown of the head all the way down to the soles of your feet,
Like a waterfall rinsing away all the worries and the dust of the day.
On your next inhale,
Tense every muscle in your body.
On the exhale,
Release completely,
Letting go of all holding,
All tension,
And pause to feel the calm in between breaths.
Do this a couple more times at your own pace,
Each time letting go more deeply.
Bring your awareness back to the natural flow of your breath,
In and out through the nose,
Noticing the qualities of the breath,
The temperature of the air,
Cooler on the inhale,
Warmer on the exhale.
Let your thoughts settle as you breathe in,
And allow them to melt away as you breathe out.
Allow everything to be.
Bring to mind someone who has offered you unconditional love,
Perhaps a person,
Your favorite pet,
Or even a moment when you give such love to another.
Feel in your body what it's like to be held in that love.
Notice how your heart naturally opens to receive this care.
Allow yourself to relive the goodness of that moment,
That feeling of love,
Noticing where and how it physically manifests in your body.
Allow the memory of receiving or giving this love to fill your heart.
Feel your body relax even deeper,
Wrapped all around into that gentle warmth.
Rest in the knowing that you don't need to do more or be more,
As you are already whole,
Already enough,
And always have been.
From this space of kind awareness,
Offer yourself these words.
May I be free from all my negativity,
Fear,
And self-doubt.
May I be free from my old patterns.
May I be open to love and healing.
May I live with ease.
May I be happy.
Let these wishes sink deeply into your being.
If you notice some resistance,
Simply acknowledge it with kindness.
Breathe in,
Inviting peace.
Breathe out,
Releasing control.
Breathe in,
Invite any quality you wish to cultivate.
Breathe out,
Releasing anything that no longer serves you,
Asking your higher power to remove it.
With each breath,
You're becoming more spacious,
More open,
Transforming what you're ready to release.
I'd like to share a poem titled It Is Enough by Anne Alexander Bingham.
Stay rooted in your breath or any sensations in the body.
Pay attention to how these words resonate with your heart.
It is enough to know that the atoms of my body will remain.
To think of them rising through the roots of a great oak.
To live in leaves,
Branches,
Twigs.
Perhaps to feed the crimson peony,
The blue iris,
The broccoli.
Or rest on water,
Freeze and thaw with the seasons.
Some atoms might become a bit of fluff on the wing of a chickadee to feel the breeze,
Know the support of air.
And some might drift up and up into space,
Stardust returning from whence it came.
It is enough to know that as long as there is a universe,
I am a part of it.
Take rest in the quiet knowing that you are held in infinite love and knowing that transformation is already happening within you.
When you are ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
Wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Give yourself a nice long stretch.
Slowly turn your head from side to side,
Awakening the neck.
Give yourself a big thanks for showing up for yourself today.
After the meditation,
I invite you to spend 5 minutes reflecting on today's journaling prompt.
If you lived on love today,
What would be different?
What would love do?
Take good care and keep coming back.
