Sometimes mindfulness meditation practice is called, exercising the letting go muscle.
I first encountered the Letting Go meditation at a Vipassana retreat in Byron Bay. At the time I was holding on to a belief that was holding me back. The practice was wonderfully liberating.
You can listen to the recorded meditation on Letting Go or use the following instructions as a guide:
Find a comfortable place either sitting or lying down. Place your attention on your belly and see if you can notice the breath in the body.
Now keeping some awareness on the breath, thinking about whatever it is that you are holding on to that you would like to let go of… a story, a situation, a feeling, a relationship… Whatever it may be, hold it in the heart of compassion. Notice any discomfort and unhappiness that you feel from holding on. Then tune in to your heart and to ask the question – is it time to let this go?
Now gently say the words, “Let go, let go, let go”. Over and over. As you continue to repeat the words, see if you can notice the images, the sensations of tightness and holding on in the body… and repeat over and over on the out breath, :Let go, let go, I let go. I’m ready to let this go.”
You may notice the body start to soften, release, to let go. As the body and mind let go you might notice a sense of freedom, openness, spaciousness.
Finally, allow yourself to visualise the future where whatever you had been holding on to has been released. Notice how that feels. Sit quietly for a moment and bring your attention to the breath. Notice where you feel it most distinctly. And when you’re ready you can open your eyes.
Sometimes it’s easier to let go, but sometimes at takes more practice. If you’re having difficulty letting go of something, a useful question to ask yourself can be – How long do I want to hold on to this? Ten days? Ten years? A lifetime? And if I do keep holding on, how will this benefit my life and the life of those around me?
The Letting Go meditation is one of the tools in my ‘letting go’ tool kit.
Music can be helpful too. If I’m resisting letting go, I listen to the Beatles song, Let it Be. Letting it Be is the first step towards being able to let it go. I find listening to the music of Kirtan Wallah Krishna Das is also helpful. Doing some kind of yoga practice can help identify areas of tightness in the body, which can be a pointer to something we want or need to let go of. And the following poem sums it up for me:
She let go.
Without a thought or a word, she let go.
She let go of fear. She let go of the judgments.
She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head.
She let go of the committee of indecision within her.
She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely,
without hesitation or worry, she just let go.
She didn’t ask anyone for advice. She didn’t read a
book on how to let go… She didn’t search the scriptures.
She just let go.
She let go of all of the memories that held her back.
She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.
She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.
She didn’t promise to let go.
She didn’t journal about it.
She didn’t write the projected date in her day-timer.
She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper.
She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.
She just let go.
She didn’t analyse whether she should let go.
She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter.
She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment.
She didn’t call the prayer line.
She didn’t utter one word. She just let go.
No one was around when it happened.
There was no applause or congratulations.
No one thanked her or praised her.
No one noticed a thing.
Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.
There was no effort. There was no struggle.
It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad.
It was what it was, and it is just that.
In the space of letting go, she let it all be.
A small smile came over her face.
A light breeze blew through her.
And the sun and the moon shone forevermore.
— Reverend Safire Rose
Chris Phillips, Special Guest Meditation Guide for August 2017
Our Special Guest Meditation Guide of the Month shares their unique perspective and gives us insight into the inspiration behind the month’s 10 Minute Meditation member bonus. To experience this meditation for yourself, try One Mind Live by going HERE