True Letting Go, No Progressive Muscle Relaxation (Live)

Let's just ease into our time of quietude together.

Let's take our time.

Let's slow down.

Let's let go of all the busyness of our day.

And check in with what lies beneath.

All the noise.

All those surface layers of busyness.

If we give ourselves some time and space to let all of that settle,

We touch upon something really meaningful.

A resource that is always there.

But that gets covered up.

And so let's take this journey together really slowly.

Maybe placing your hands over your heart.

If that feels comfortable for you to connect.

With your heart.

Yourself.

The essence of you.

And also to let that touch convey your commitment to showing up here this evening for your human self.

With all its trials and tribulations.

To hold a space for all of that humanness.

To let it be.

To drop all the self-improvement projects.

To just let yourself be as you are.

Connecting with your breath.

Starting to let it go just that little bit deeper into your belly.

Giving each exhalation away.

With a really long,

Soft,

Releasing sigh.

And really receiving the words.

The essence of this beautiful poem by Monza Nav.

Let the words touch you in whatever way is meaningful to you.

The poem is called Autumn.

Autumn.

Urge me to drop every leaf I don't need.

Every task or habit I repeat past its season.

Every sorrow I rehearse.

Each unfulfilled hope I recall.

Every person or possession to which I cling.

Until my branches are bare.

Until I hold fast to nothing.

Blow me about in your wild iron sky.

Crush all that's puffed up.

Fluff all that in me needs to go to seed.

Send my shadows to sleep.

Tutor me through straining night winds.

In the passion of moan and pant.

The gift of letting go.

At the moment of most abundance.

In the way of falling apples,

Figs,

Maple leaves,

Pecans.

Open my eyes to your languid light.

Let me stare in your face until I see no difference between sore and fall.

Until I recognize eternity in single breath.

Faint whispers of cool air through lungs.

Show me the way of dying in glorious boldness.

Yellow,

Gold,

Orange,

Rust,

Red,

Burgundy.

So just allowing those words to sink in.

To let them touch whatever within you those words speak to.

The season of autumn can teach us so much.

So much about life,

About letting go,

Change,

Transition,

Death and rebirth.

And so just opening to the energy of the season that we are in right now and for whatever it has to teach you.

It's not easy to let go.

It's not easy to embrace change.

To embrace death and be in that period before rebirth.

It's not easy but autumn,

Nature,

Shows us the way.

It doesn't cling on.

It gives up at its most abundant.

And there's such a valuable lesson for us in this season.

And I'm just inviting us to open to whatever that means to you.

As we take this journey around the body letting go of all that's not needed.

All that holds us back.

All that keeps us stuck.

And let's start by opening to the recognition of eternity in single breaths.

Right now give your full attention to the breath that you are breathing right now.

Feeling it directly.

Allowing your body to continue taking as many of those low really slow breaths as you can right now.

Taking as many of those low really slow breaths as it needs.

Notice how thousands of times a day we let go of the exhalation without even thinking about it or trying.

Something in us knows how to let go.

Let's trust that.

Notice how the breath moves in your body.

And can you feel it?

How does it feel?

Noticing the temperature of the in-breath.

The temperature of the out-breath.

The way that your body is being breathed right now.

How every breath out is life's natural way of releasing.

Of letting go.

Every out-breath an opportunity to just let everything go that is not needed.

Without analyzing that or figuring out.

Just letting go.

Trusting what is ready to let go.

Noticing how your body moves.

Receiving and giving back constantly.

This constant opening to receiving and this constant letting go.

And right at the heart of each breath at the moment before each breath turns we touch eternity.

Notice those moments between each breath.

Falling into that eternal openness.

From which each new breath is born.

And into which each breath returns.

Welcome the presence of sounds.

Just noting them.

Not getting involved.

But just aware that they're there.

Aware of the presence of body.

Body alive with sensation.

Tuning in to the felt sense of body.

Just as it's showing up right now.

True letting go.

It's not a pushing away.

It's not a forcing.

There's no manipulation in true letting go.

Feel the whole body.

Whole body.

Might you release a little more of the weight.

Of what right now is ready to drop away.

Just allowing your body to tell its story.

To welcome whatever arises.

To give it space.

And to let it go.

Nothing to cling to.

Nothing to wait for.

Dropping all expectations.

And just be here now.

With the immediate feeling of body.

Whole of face.

Softening.

Eyes resting right back.

Space between eyebrows.

Softening and expanding.

Brain giving up its weight.

As we sink a little deeper into the realm.

Of not doing.

Of not having to figure things out.

The realm of no conclusions about anything.

Just wide open to now.

To here.

Hinges of the jaw.

Slackening.

Inside of the mouth.

Softening.

Throat settling down.

The whole back of the body.

Head.

Shoulders.

Buttocks.

Thighs.

Calves.

Heels.

Sinking a little deeper into the support beneath.

The whole front of body.

Softening.

Opening.

Touched.

By eternity.

And that touch.

Melting.

All that is contracted.

Arms giving up their weight.

The whole back of the body.

Head.

Shoulders.

Thighs.

The sensation.

Palms of hands.

Right now in this moment.

Be with the current sensation.

Palms of hands.

The immediate feeling that's there right now.

Palms of hands.

See if you can stay.

No judgement.

Whenever you leave.

But just a commitment to returning again and again.

To now.

Palms of hands.

Fingers.

Tingling with life.

Heart beating.

Lungs breathing.

Hips offering up their weight.

Legs.

Softening.

Just a little more.

Beautiful friends.

Let's rest here together.

In the openness of our aware presence.

Giving mind and body all the space they need.

To empty out of whatever is not needed right now.

But know yourself as you rest.

Rest here quietly.

As that vast openness.

Which holds and welcomes it all without any clinging.

Directing.

Or manipulation.

You're just here.

Just being.

Just being.

Taste the sweetness.

Of your own being.

Aware without any trying.

Present with no effort whatsoever.

Here you are.

As life unfolds within you.

Constantly changing.

On the surface.

But there's the recognition.

Of that within you that doesn't change.

That is constant and true.

Throughout every season of your life.

The ups and the downs.

The coming and the going.

That which remains.

Unchanged.

Untouched.

No separation between.

The movement and the stillness.

But just the recognition of who and what you are.

Beyond all the stories.

Beyond all that comes and goes.

Feel the presence.

Of body.

Alive.

Breath moving.

Heart beating.

Whole body.

Feel where body.

Meets the surface beneath.

Feel the touch.

Of air.

On skin.

On skin.

The sound of this voice.

Moving within you.

A wide open aware presence.

Like a warm bath.

That all can rest in.

Let your breath deepen again.

Going just a little bit deeper down into your belly.

Than usual.

Followed by a lovely long soft releasing sigh.

Going right to the very end of the breath.

Feeling each breath at the tip of the nostrils.

The cool refreshing in-breath.

The warm soothing out-breath.

Just noticing.

And taking a moment to call forward.

From your heart.

A prayer for your life.

A listening to what wants to emerge.

And come into being.

What is longing to come forth.

Hearing a whisper of your soul.

Trusting it.

Hearing it.

With every cell of your body.

Naming it.

Acknowledging it.

Calling forward.

From the vast mystery.

Whatever help you may need in your life.

From the vast mystery.

Whatever help you may need in your life.

Calling it forward.

Trusting that it will come.

Trusting.

That grace.

Is eternally present.

Even if that makes no sense.

To our minds.

Calling forward.

The gratitude.

Within your heart.

For all that you are so blessed to have.

Right now.

Noting and naming all that you're grateful for.

Silently.

Feel the sensation of gratitude.

Lighting up every cell of your body.

Who are you grateful for?

Bowing down.

To the abundance.

All around us.

Bowing down.

To the lessons that.

Nature teaches us.

I bow down in gratitude.

For your presence.

Here.

In the medicine circle.

That we're holding together.

Thank you.

Check in with what your body needs right now.

Whether that is movement.

Or continued rest.

And if and when your body is ready to move.

Giving your body complete freedom.

To move in whatever way just feels good.

Remaining anchored.

In your ground of being.

As we transition.

From this shared space.

Continuing to breathe.

Slowly.

And deeply.