Welcome.
My name is Gayler.
I'm a yoga and meditation teacher based in Los Angeles.
And thank you for joining me for this practice of letting go.
Today we're going to begin in a comfortable seat.
Or if it feels better to you,
Maybe something more unusual.
Maybe you want to have your legs up a wall.
Get in a position that allows you to begin to feel that sense of release.
We're going to start by taking a few cleansing breaths together.
So deep inhales through the nose and long exhales through the mouth.
On the exhales,
Really letting the body soften.
Those exhales,
Those out breaths are where we find the release.
This is where we will find the letting go.
And then once you've taken a few cleansing breaths,
Find the rhythm of long fluid inhales with long fluid exhales.
And we're going to begin by letting go at the physical level.
Letting go of any tension we've stored in the body.
So beginning at the crown of the head,
Take a scan of your body.
Releasing through the face.
Softening the brow.
Releasing the jaw.
Relaxing down through the neck and the shoulders.
Through the chest,
Through the belly.
The hips,
The legs and the feet.
And keeping that conscious breathing going.
Just beginning to realize how much we actually hold on to.
A lot of it we aren't even aware of.
We hold on to our past,
To past relationships,
To stories we tell ourselves,
To self-limiting beliefs,
To expectations of ourselves,
Of others,
Of the world.
Take another deep,
Deep breath here.
And I invite you to identify something that you're holding on to.
Now notice what emotions that brings up.
Maybe it's anger or guilt or shame,
Anxiety,
Resentment.
See if you can note the emotion or emotions without attaching to them.
Just trying to observe calmly and dispassionately.
Just actively practicing non-attachment.
Now see if you can notice where you might feel it in your body.
Does this manifest as tightness in your chest?
Maybe you hold your breath.
See if you can let bringing awareness to those spots help them soften and release.
Now I'd like you to give yourself permission to let go of whatever you're holding on to.
Let go of this thing.
Just feeling that release on the exhales.
Finding that sense of liberation that comes with letting go.
Because if something isn't supporting your highest and best self,
It doesn't belong with you.
Maybe you even begin to feel a lightness,
A little bit of a sense of freedom.
If you are seated,
See if you can lift up through the crown of the head,
Just getting long through the spine.
Literally finding that lightness through the upper body.
Take another deep breath here,
The deepest breath you've taken all day.
And as we close this practice,
I invite you to take this practice,
This routine off the mat into your life.
Can you identify sources of stress,
Of craving or longing,
Of unhappiness,
And look right at them?
Identify them,
Name them,
Realize how they make you feel.
Notice your body's reaction.
And then using the breath as your focus,
See if you can begin to find that release.
See if you can begin to let go.
Use your breath to tap into and free things in your life that don't support you as you are in this moment.
In doing this,
We are making space for what lies ahead,
For the opportunities and possibilities and surprises that await us on our journey.
Hope to see you again soon.
