Why it feels so good to “let go” of the things we, for better or for worse, cling to.
During my recent yoga teacher training, I led a yoga class in which I shared a simple meditation I had learned along the way, and I’ll share it with you now.
Breathe in, thinking “let.”
Breathe out, thinking “go.”
Inhale, “let.”
Exhale, “go.”
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You know what you need to let go of; we all have something. It might be a bitterness about something that didn’t go your way, jealousy over someone who seems to have it better than you, or a painful memory that has taken up residency even in your subconsciousness.
Recently I went for a walk on a beautiful gift of a warm February afternoon in Kentucky after about two weeks of freezing temperatures and snow. The sun felt so good on my face.
I walked slowly, listening to the water make its way down the hillside toward the creek. I ended up sitting near my neighbor’s cabin, where there’s a welcoming bench next to the creek that connects all of us in this little corner of the world.
Ice had begun breaking up throughout the waterways, and as the water level rose, the current picked up to a nice little rapid pace. Tiny icebergs fought their way toward the river, and I noticed in front of me that one in particular was holding on.
It apparently didn’t want to let go, and inspired this very blog post. Here’s a 30-second snippet:
You’ll notice that something symbolic happened in those moments. Other little icebergs came and went, some pausing with the star of our show.
Thoughts are like that, aren’t they?
They arrive unexpectedly in a swarming current, and some of them stay whether we want them to or not.
This is where practicing yoga can help us nudge those unwanted thoughts along. The basics, like focusing on the breath and being in the present moment make it easier to let go of negativity and instead embrace the positive forces around us – and rest assured, they are around us.
As I sat with the creek, I noticed there were places where the ice formations were piling up on top of each other, which is also symbolic of our thoughts. I think when this happens, when we let the negative thoughts pile up on each other, is when we really feel the stress, or depression, or fill-in-the-blank. (For me, it’s usually brief periods of stress that I resolve with calming techniques like yoga asana, meditation, writing, or you know, sometimes it just feels really good to throw a heavy rock into the yard with a “DAGNABBIT!”) Do what works for you, my friend.
I wonder if you can think of something minor that you can emotionally let go of. Start small, and see if that makes it easier to let go of the bigger stresses in your mind. Maybe you can let go of a minor habit that you’ve become attached to (watching TV, for example, has become second nature to many of us in the midst of both winter and the pandemic…maybe if that’s become your jam and you want to wean yourself, try turning it on later than usual).
Speaking of the stress in your mind – note that it often is just in your mind. We humans take things personally, we take things the wrong way, we take things…that we can let go of.
I’ve found that letting go looks and feels a little like this:
My emotional states are smoother. I feel more calm, more able to see the icebergs coming before they grab hold of my attention and push me to a breaking point.
I can see them coming, and then watch them pass as I welcome things that I want to pay attention to, like my sons playing music, or my dogs wagging their tails, or my husband doing something cute, like dancing in the background while our sons play said music.
What are your thoughts on the art of letting go? Share them with me in the comments section below.
Peace, love, and more peace,
Cherie Dawn
LifeSoup by Cherie Dawn Haas 
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