Letting Go

Can you imagine what your life would be like if you could simply let go and relax into life? Can you imagine how you would feel if all the chronic holding you carry around with you all day long simply let go? Can you imagine the joy of rediscovering how not to be scared of showing up for life – how to be fully here, no matter what is happening?

If you bring your attention to your body, you will see that, rather than being fully here for life, you hold onto a lot. You tighten your neck, your shoulders, your chest, your stomach, your back, and even your breath. In other words, you resist. And this causes so much suffering.

For just a few moments, the invitation is to soften a bit. Let yourself relax into a long, slow,

out-breath. If you find your mind is resistant or you feel the tightness around your breath isn’t able to let go, on your next in-breath tighten every single muscle you can find and then on your out-breath slowly let this tightening go. Deeply enjoy the relaxing that is a long slow out-breath.

Then exaggerate your chronic holding by tightening again on your in-breath, and then enjoy the deliciousness of letting go on your long, slow out-breath.

Let go even if your body is in pain.

Let go even if your mind is agitated.

Let go even if your heart is breaking.

Let go even if your mind is scared to let go.

The safest thing you will ever do is relax into life. What is here to greet you is life in all its aliveness and mystery. As you discover how to open to life again, you begin to see that there are your stories about Life, and then there is Life.  Your stories are full of fear about being open to life, but slowly, as you recognize that you don’t have to be run by the stories in your head, you begin to relax.

Of course, you won’t stay in this alive and open place, for the mind will take over again with its incessant need to struggle. No need to judge this. We have all been conditioned to struggle since we were very young. But even just a few moments of being here, sprinkled throughout your day, matter. When you relax enough to be present for life, these moments accumulate. And slowly and surely the core intention of your life is no longer about trying to get to a better place. It’s all about seeing and inviting the tightening inside of you to relax enough that you can actually be here for life.

The safest thing you will ever do is soften into life. Soften, soften, soften so you can experience life as it unfolds. Everything you long for, and everything you truly are, is right here, right now. It always has been, and it always will be.