Holding Too Tightly

In this 5.5-minute guided meditation, we will explore how it feels to hold something too tightly and then to let go. Is it possible that by holding onto a thought, feeling or object, we are missing out on engaging with anything else?

Transcript

Hello and welcome.

My name is Julie and I'm glad you're joining us for a parent break.

If your eyes are open,

I invite you to close them.

And let's take a few breaths together to move from the outside inward.

So let's take our first inhale together.

Inhale and release.

Inhale again and release.

Let's take one more breath together,

Inhaling.

Float here,

Release.

And as we settle in,

I invite you to place your hands gently palms up on your lap.

Now consider something that you really value and you want to hold on to it.

Let's make a fist and hold on really tightly.

So tightly that no one can take it from you.

Feel the strength of your fists.

Let's take a breath together and slowly on the exhale,

We'll open our hands.

Now take one or both of your hands and keeping them open,

Bring them to your heart or somewhere else on your body and use that open hand to touch.

Notice the warmth of that open hand.

You can leave your hands on your body or let them return to your lap.

I invite you to notice the feeling with the hands squeezed tightly closed and compare that to the feeling of what was transmitted with open hands.

Whether we're holding on to a thought,

An idea,

A feeling,

Or something solid,

There may be times when we are holding it too tightly.

German theologian Dorothee Söhle once shared,

Once shared,

If my hands are fully occupied holding on to something,

I can neither give nor receive.

If my hands are fully occupied holding on to something,

I can neither give nor receive.

What if by holding on to that idea,

Thought,

Individual,

Or thing,

We are trapping ourselves from moving forward,

From giving or from receiving?

I'll leave you to ponder that for a few moments.

Hello again.

We'll now begin to bring ourselves back to the present moment with three breaths.

So we'll inhale and float and release.

Inhale,

Float,

And release.

Inhale,

Float,

And release.

You're ready.

You can open your eyes.

If you're joining us here at Parent Break,

We're going to do some journaling now.

And if you're listening to a recording,

You're welcome to journal as well.

Thanks for joining us for a Parent Break.