‘Letting go’ in meditation .. what does this really mean?

It is our human nature to turn towards the pleasant, the comfortable, the certain, and to resist the unpleasant, the uncomfortable, the uncertain. While this happens naturally for evolutionary reasons (and it still makes a great deal of sense to keep us safe from physical harm), it often can get us into trouble ..

This is because life is full of change, uncertainty and a wild mix of both the pleasant and the unpleasant. Yet, we tend to struggle in the form of wanting to push aside what we don’t like: a difficult conversation, working through an endless to-do list, preparing for a dreaded presentation, dealing with restrictions during the pandemic, a personal grudge, self-limiting beliefs, what others expect of us ...
This resistance manifests itself in very different ways: we worry, become irritable, reactive, our bodies become tense, we have troubles sleeping well, and the list goes on.

So how can we ‘let go’ of this resistance?
We can consciously make space for these moments when we do feel tension building-up. Making space starts by recognising what is going on with body, heart and mind, with an attitude of acceptance, giving space to evaluate different perspectives, to see choices more clearly. This relaxed and grounded space allows the resistance to gradually dissolve.

This is the process of letting go!

Meditation is a wonderful practice ground to let go of thoughts, worries, judgements, beliefs, memories that do keep us trapped in this way, by repeatedly returning to breath and body. This grounding mechanism, also allows us to consciously let go of any holding tension in the body that may accumulate overtime from our habit of resisting the unpleasant.

What would YOU like to let go of?

Perhaps a meaningful reflection for the onset of Christmas & the New Year.