Letting go as a practice

    Intention

  The idea of letting go of things in a physical form of some sort gives us the experience of release and closure as we engage our senses.  There are endless individual ways this can be put in practice, and it is surprising how even the most simple things can invite a sense of freedom. Being engaged in the practice with the intention is already a start of taking control and having an awareness of things which cause harm.

   The intention is the start of liberation and this is a broad practice as it is powerful. If we are letting go of trauma, grief, attatching to expectations to be a certain way, having to make life changes, etc. How we may find a connected experience does not have to be done in the physical, how ever it is often the case we haven't done this so easily with out a prompt.

   I will introduce some common tried and true methods that I invite you to experience. Just like you can' t know taste with out trying it for yourself, these are offered for you to know for own the great start of liberation that happens when you let go.

  Forms of this practice have become part of my daily practice as I reduce clutter in mental and physical. This creates space for wisdom.

 Physical activity 

   Many of us that spend time being physically active can certainly find a place for release amoung what we are doing which has already been experienced and part of what keeps of doing it. So setting an intention of transforming anger, anxiety, stress, ect. can turn this into a regular practice that serves more benefit. Actions like endurance sports create a place of patience and gets us to look at big picture rather than just now.  Adapting to uncertainty can be seen in flexibility, yoga or martial arts are great ways to experience this.  A heavy lifting or high volume strength training session can be both a release, but also also a reminder that we are capable of handling more.

     Trying something new is also a great way to invite vitality to life. Doing a long walk for a sunrise or full moon hike.

   Creative outlet

    Being able to transorm a hurt, or form of suffering into a form of creativity is no new idea. It's raw emotion that connects people to art in many ways. Most songs aren't about times of great living. There is an immediate sense of passion that can arise from just three notes of a blues song. The way a color effects us when we use it or see it can change our thoughts. Drawing in the sand before a tide, any seeing it pass just as nature is a state of change and renewal. A state of mind that can be stepped into from Shamanic drumming, the reminder of refuge in a painting, and the knowing we can still create is being practiced in the moment. That in itself brings us to know we can make the most of where we are. The place of making the ordinary amazing.

  If you don't consider yourself creative it is certainly not the end result but the experience that is the reward. Don't limit yourself. This gives way to find new outlets. I never painted until last year and would never have know I liked it with out having just opened to play with color.

   Ceremonial/ symbolic

  Perhaps one of the most popular ways we have seen this done is the act of setting things in a fire. This often gets tricky when we look at our intentions. Returning hate with resentment is like fueling a fire. Starting a fire on a cold day gives us the chance to experience that making effort for  forgiveness and compassion to provide warmth. Just as there was no fire, you have opportunity to create warmth in the midst of a cold winter wilderness. This same consuming fire can be place of refuge and is where our burdens can be transformed into energy that is used to comfort. Writing things down gets us to get specific and become more aware of roots of our suffering. Also that hot coals are not meant to be held.

  The same principle applies to this next practice,  that is the flushing. Writing down on toilet paper all the shitty things we have felt tainted,  hurt, effected by, and letting it go. The waste we are exposed to needs to be flushed. Making a practice of natural process.

   Holding an object before tossing it such as rocks in a river, a stick in the words can remind of things are only heavy when we hold them. I have always like the idea of carrying water as a reminder of the heaviness, but then pouring it out on a plant that may need it. This enhances my understanding of letting nothing go to waste. Things we have learned can be a help to some one else, and we are all dependant on another.

  Nature's wisdom of letting go

    The immediate visual contrast of how vast the ocean is in comparison to a wave is a good place to remember just now versus forever. Watching clouds is a gateway to understanding impermanence as it is value the moment of each day. Water can offer a reflection, yet only when it is still. Motion distorts that possibility. There is teachings in each aspect of nature. The tree let's go of its leaves, it creates amazing color we enjoy. It doesn't suffer, knowing loss is place for rebirth. Even dead trees offer habitat for other animals and return to earth in an manner of nutrients to the earth. Nothing in nature goes to waste. Every thing has a season.

  Pick a scenic place and observe how nature provides benefits in all seasons. Endless wisdom awaits with intention of connecting to letting go as part of the process. Every thing is teaching us.

  Routine check in

    The longer you hold things the heavier they are. Becoming aware of what we are holding onto is best done on a regular basis. Of course eliminating a coworkers complaints is different than a trauma release. Again, setting the intention of not holding things is a key to liberation. Practice makes us better at anything.