Hello,
Friend.
We cannot lead a life of well-being and flourish while holding on to the stories of what was,
As the regrets of untraveled paths and unseized moments in your past can cause you to perseverate about a life of what-ifs.
You see,
Holding on to the past is like trying to hold on to the wind as it blows through the air.
The tighter your grip,
The swifter it slips away.
So clenching on to what eludes you only leads to self-inflicted frustration and irritation.
Just as a river releases its current to flow forward,
You too must practice letting go of what was,
So you can move forward into what can be.
And it starts now,
In this moment.
Close your eyes or soften your gaze to what's in front of you.
Let tension unravel and wash away from your face.
Let go the weight of the world you place on your shoulders today and every day.
Imagine a gentle cascade of relaxation pouring down through your arms and legs,
Carrying away any tension as it does.
Start to bring awareness to your breath,
Recognizing the interlude between each breath's entrance and each breath's exit.
Breathe natural and unrestricted.
Your breath is a gentle reminder of your own humanity,
But it is also the common thread between us all.
Notice its quality,
And similar to a still pond,
Align your breath with tranquility.
When your wandering mind ventures out to sea,
Use your breath as a guiding beacon to bring you back safely to the shores of this moment.
In the spaciousness of release,
Emotions will rise like the mist,
And as they do,
Notice that there is space between you and them,
And they do not require your immediate attention.
Simply bring your mindful voyage back to this moment once more.
Each moment you get to begin again is a precious gift,
A reminder that the universe believes in your capacity to recreate,
Renew,
And redefine.
I'm going to leave you here for a few more minutes to practice on your own,
And as you notice your mind out in the sea,
Beacon it back to the shore with your breath,
Softening your body and any tension that's been gathered up in the process,
And begin again.
Watch the time.
Start to bring your awareness back to the space that surrounds you,
And as you bring your practice to a close,
Remember to begin again takes courage and resilience,
Which occurs not in the absence of fear and doubt,
But in the midst of it.
Khalil Gibran spoke about it best in his poem called Fear,
Which I'll read to you now.
It is said that before entering the sea,
A river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,
From the peaks of the mountains,
The long winding road crossing forests and villages,
And in front of her she sees an ocean so vast that to enter there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.
But there is no other way.
The river cannot go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk of entering the ocean because only then will fear disappear.
Because that's where the river will know.
It's not about disappearing into the ocean,
But of becoming the ocean.
You see,
Letting go is the key that unlocks the door to your potential,
A doorway leading to a brighter,
More expansive existence for you.
Who might you be if you simply let go and begin again?
Until next time,
My friends,
Namaste.
