Welcome to this guided meditation,
Today we journey into the art of letting go,
Not through force but through flow.
As you follow the rhythm of your breath you'll begin to see yourself as a river,
Fluid,
Alive and unstoppable.
There's no need to resist or hold on.
The river shows us how to release and trust.
So let's begin.
Find a comfortable and sustainable position,
Whether you're seated or lying down,
Allow your body to feel both grounded and spacious.
Then rest your hands in your lap or by your sides like heavy curtains.
Then gently close your eyes or let your gaze to a soft,
Unfocused point.
Begin by checking in with yourself,
Without judgement,
How do you feel right now?
Whatever arises,
Welcome it.
Now bring your awareness to the space around you,
Without using your eyes,
Sense the area to your left,
Then behind you,
To your right,
Above you.
And finally in front of you.
Now allow your shoulders to soften,
Your jaw to unclench and let go of any need to do anything,
There's nothing that can't wait,
This is your time.
Begin to notice the natural rhythm of your breath,
Let your body breathe itself.
The breath will be your anchor on this journey,
The more you stay with it,
The more that your inner river will clear itself,
The breath gently breaking down any barriers or dams that we may have created deep within us.
Invite you now to layer in to your natural breath a mantra,
As you inhale say to yourself let and with each exhale go,
Inhale let,
Exhale go.
Let the words ride the rhythm of your breath,
You don't need to concentrate too hard,
Just let the mantra float alongside your breath,
If your mind wanders,
Simply return it to the breath,
To the mantra and to the moment.
Inhale let,
Exhale go.
Now in your mind's eye,
Begin to visualize a river,
See your body as the riverbanks,
Strong,
Grounded,
Holding space,
Your breath is the water,
Flowing,
Cleansing and alive and your thoughts and feelings and emotions are the debris,
Like sticks and leaves,
Even logs that float along or sometimes get caught in the flow,
But here,
In this moment,
They do not define the river,
They simply move with it or dissolve in its current.
Not just any river,
You are the river.
Picture yourself beginning as a small spring,
Bubbling up from the earth,
Quiet,
Clear,
Full of potential,
You begin to flow,
Gentle,
Curious and alive,
But soon you meet obstacles,
Dams of resistance,
These are the old beliefs,
The fears,
The expectations that have built up over years,
See them now,
Large,
Heavy structures of doubt and self-protection.
And yet,
With each breath,
With each repetition of your mantra,
Something begins to shift.
Inhale let,
Exhale go,
Feel the breath like water,
Pressing gently but persistently against those walls,
Cracks begin to form,
The water gathers,
The pressure builds,
And then the dam breaks,
There is a sudden powerful release,
Water rushes forward,
Your breath becomes the flood that washes old patterns downstream,
You are free,
Let it all go,
Let it all be carried by the current,
Inhale let,
Exhale go.
As you continue flowing,
Allow your awareness to move through your body,
Begin to focus inward,
Gently scanning through your emotional landscape,
What dam feels most present for you today,
Perhaps it's guilt,
Perhaps stress,
Anger or a clinging to the past,
Maybe it's a heaviness you can't quite name,
Let that be your focus right now,
Bring your awareness there to that place where resistance is most felt,
Let it become the dam you're ready to soften,
And then use your breath and your mantra,
Inhale let,
Exhale go,
These are the emotional dams built from past pain,
Guilt,
Shame,
Fear,
Regret,
Old stories that you've told yourself over and over,
Breathe into those places that need it most right now,
And let the mantra work its magic with the breath,
With each breath feel the pressure building behind those internal walls,
Feel the breath searching out the cracks,
Softening,
Loosening,
Preparing to release,
You may see images or memories rise up as you do,
Just allow them to come,
You do not need to relive them,
Only to witness them flowing away,
And now feel it,
Another dam within you breaks,
Let the water rush through,
Cleansing you,
See the release of guilt dissolving in the current,
Watch shame carry it off like fallen leaves,
Feel fear soften and unhook its grip,
Let your past,
Your perceived failures,
Your self-judgment be washed away,
You're clearing space,
You're returning to your essence,
You're no longer held back,
You are the river,
Soft,
Strong,
Ever-moving and self-cleaning,
Remember no river flows in a straight line,
There are always twists and turns,
Places where the path disappears behind rocks or dips into hidden valleys,
You may not always know what lies around the next bend,
But you do not need to,
Because the river does not control the land it flows through,
It works with it,
Not against it,
Let go of what you cannot control,
Focus only on what you can,
Your breath,
Your presence,
Your path in this moment,
Inhale let,
Exhale go,
The river teaches us,
Even when the flow slows,
When the bed runs dry,
When clarity is lost,
The water will return,
The current will come,
And we will again flow,
So don't try to push your river,
Don't force it,
Just let it meander,
Flowing at its own pace,
Realizing that you are the river.
Erin Hanson sums up this journey perfectly with her poem,
Letting Go,
I was the type of person that held on to things too tight,
Unable to release my grip when it no longer felt right,
And although it gave me blisters and my fingers would all ache,
I always thought that holding on was worth the pain it takes,
I used to think in losing things I'd lose a part of me too,
That slowly I'd become someone my heart no longer knew,
Then one day something happened,
I dropped what I had once held dear,
But my soul became much lighter instead of filled with fear,
And it taught my heart that some things aren't meant to last for long,
They arrive to teach you lessons,
And they continue on,
You don't have to cling to people who no longer make you smile,
Or do something you've come to hate,
If it isn't worth your while,
That sometimes the thing you're fighting for isn't worth the cost,
And not everything you ever lose is bound to be a loss.
Now just let those words settle,
Like pebbles in a clear stream,
And when you're ready slowly start to bring your awareness back to your body,
To the room around you,
And then to the present moment,
Then when you're ready I invite you to flow into the rest of your day,
Not in haste,
But in quiet trust,
Let your breath guide you around what can no longer be changed,
And meet each moment with grace,
Be soft enough to release,
Steady enough to continue,
And wise enough to know when to let go,
And when to hold on.
Thank you for flowing with me today,
And I look forward to sharing a practice with you again soon,
Namaste.
