Let Thoughts Come And Go

This meditation helps you step out of overthinking by participating in the guided practice of gently letting thoughts come and go. With a simple, gentle approach, you will practice awareness of your thoughts and your breath.

Photo: Unsplash. Music: Purchased on Epidemic Sound.

Transcript

Hello and welcome, I'm so glad you're here. Today we're exploring the practice, Learning to let thoughts come and go. There's a Zen proverb that I recently came across, Pertaining to thoughts that I think many of us could relate to, And it's, Let go or be dragged. Let go or be dragged. I think we all know what it feels like to be pulled along by our thoughts. In Zen practice, We're invited to simply sit and let thoughts pass like clouds in the sky. I want to bring up Fr. Thomas Keating's teaching because he was the teacher that I originally got my first teaching in meditation and contemplation with, And he was one of the founders and certainly the evangelist of Centering Prayer, And he teaches people to gently let go of thoughts as they arise, And that word gently was so powerful to me. So as he taught, We gently let go of our thoughts, Not by force, But just by simply withdrawing our attention and not giving it our consent. He gave the example of sitting on the riverbank and watching our thoughts, Feelings, And perceptions come and go, Almost like a leaf on the surface of the water, Just watching them come, Watching them while they're in front of us, And watching them as they go. We see this pattern of letting go in nature, Don't we? In the fall, The trees let go of their leaves. There's no strain or effort to it, And we see this in our lives too. At the end of the day, We get tired and we begin to release or let go of the day. And eventually, Even naturally, We surrender to sleep. So let's begin to practice. Take a moment now to settle yourself. Adjust your body so that you feel comfortable and supported and yet aware. Gently allow your eyes to close if that feels right for you, And begin to notice your body. Relax your brow, Relax your cheeks and your jaw muscles, Relax your neck and allow your shoulders to drop. Be aware of your hands, Allow them to be supple and soft, Resting easily. Notice your breath, Just breathe naturally. Notice the rise and the fall of your chest. Breathe in and breathe out. Let's just take an intentional pause from all of that, From the cues, From noticing your breath. Just pause and just simply be aware and see what arises. As you are simply sitting here, You may notice thoughts beginning to arise. Just notice your thoughts as they appear. If thoughts are arising instead of following them, See if you can simply watch them. Using the Zen analogy, Watch your thoughts as if they are clouds in the sky. They appear, They drift, Often slowly, And they pass by. Allow your thoughts to come and allow your thoughts to go. If you get caught in a thought, In other words, It captures your attention and you start to return to your center, Return to your heart, Or return to your breath. Whatever works for you, Just gently return. This gentle returning is the practice. Gently return. Sometimes the mind needs something to do, So on the in-breath, Say the word let, And on the out-breath, Say the word go. Let go. Let go. Just do that a few times on your own if you'd like. Just take a moment before we close to be aware that you are aware. As we come to a close, Gently bring your attention back to your breath. Notice your body again. If your eyes have been closed, Gently open your eyes and notice the space around you. Thanks again for being here, And may you find deep ease and a quiet freedom within. Take good care.