The new year often comes carrying instructions,
New goals,
New habits,
Or maybe a quiet pressure to become someone better,
Clearer,
More resolved.
This practice moves differently.
Instead of adding,
We will explore unlearning,
Letting go of efforts,
Beliefs and inner postures.
The inner postures,
Inner way of being that once helped you cope,
But may no longer be needed.
You don't need to fix anything here.
You don't need answers.
Silence is part of the practice.
The invitation here is to take a slow breath in and an unforced breath out.
Let the exhale be a little longer.
Notice the weight of your body where you're supported,
The chair,
The floor,
The ground beneath everything.
Unlearning begins not with effort,
But with noticing.
Notice the natural rhythm of your breath.
Breath that's not corrected or improved,
But just how it is.
Life already knows how to move.
Take a breath in,
And as you breathe out,
Feel the smallest softening in the body.
There are many things we learn just to survive,
Ways of staying alert,
Ways of being useful,
Strong,
Agreeable,
Or maybe productive.
Some of them were necessary ones,
But they don't all need to come with you.
Gently bring this question into awareness.
What effort am I still making that no longer serves me?
What effort am I still making that no longer serves me?
Don't search for an answer.
Let the question rest like an open hand.
You may notice a sensation,
A familiar tension,
A habit of holding,
Raising.
Whatever appears,
Just notice,
Acknowledge,
But don't engage.
As you breathe out,
Imagine loosening your grip by one degree,
Maybe not letting go completely,
Just less holding,
Less raising.
Unlearning can feel unsettling at first because effort has often felt like safety.
If resistance appears,
Let it be here.
No need to overcome it.
Breathe.
Now ask quietly,
What belief can soften this year?
What belief can soften this year?
Not disappear completely,
Just soften.
It might be the belief that you must always be strong,
Or available,
Or certain,
Or maybe improving.
You don't need to name it clearly.
Let the body respond instead.
Notice your jaw,
Your shoulders,
Your belly.
Invite one place to release slightly.
This year will still involve learning,
But it can also include unlearning.
Unlearning rushing,
Unlearning self-criticism,
Unlearning the habit of leaving yourself to meet expectations.
Breathe in and breathe out.
Bring attention now to the space around your body,
The air touching your skin.
Notice how space asks nothing of you,
It allows.
Be here for a few breaths.
One final inquiry gently.
Ask yourself,
Who am I when I stop trying to improve myself for a moment?
Who am I when I stop trying to improve myself for a moment?
No answer is required.
Just feel what it is like to not reach.
Let this moment be unfinished,
Open,
Unresolved.
That's not a problem,
That's freedom.
Take a slow breath in and a long breath out.
Begin to notice the room again,
The sounds,
The temperature.
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes.
And when you are ready,
You can open your eyes if they are closed.
Carry this with you into the year ahead.
You don't have to add more to be whole.
Sometimes the deepest shift comes from laying down something.
The practice of unlearning has already begun.
Thank you for being.
