The Art of Letting Go!

The Art of Letting Go-The one they don’t teach at school!

Photo from Red Rocks, Wellington, NZ

How easily someone says, why can’t you just let go? And how equally hard it is to do the same!

Okay, let’s not talk about letting go of the past, a bad memory, or even a mistake! Let’s keep it simple.

Do we struggle to let go of our morning coffee habit or tea? Do we struggle to let go of our addiction to mobile phone or social media?

Even if we want to, we still keep these habit patterns close to our heart. Isn’t it?

Why? Because somewhere we are attached to the pleasure they give us and we happily overlook the harm they do to us.

In a similar way, our mind functions to hold onto past memories and we continue to keep thinking in a circle/pattern till it tires us out. But the next morning the same circle starts? When it is tiring us out, why can’t we just LET GO?

It is because somewhere we enjoy sympathizing with ourselves living in the victim or culprit consciousness and we continue to fall into the pattern of the blame game.

Well, psychologists might have a better explanation than above, but it is true that the things which you and I are holding onto are just draining our energy levels and of course the time.

So what shall we do my friend? Because time is ticking!

I am writing this as someone who likes to overthink, exaggerate the happenings, and hold onto things till they burn me out. But..

But over the years, I have been learning to handle it. And I am still on this journey to learn and let go!

Here are a few things I would like to share from my practice of Letting Go!

Meditation

I know you might have rolled your eyes! Because everyone talks about meditation, mindfulness, and awareness these days. You tried meditation and maybe it was full of thoughts and memories, or you thought it was too difficult to just sit at one place.

Well, meditation works on all seven layers of existence meaning it will purify and cleanse you helping you to get rid of the impressions.

In the last 9 years, my meditation has evolved in a number of ways. Now, I meditate not to make things happen my way, not to ask for something, not even to achieve enlightenment. It’s not a transaction.

I meditate to dissolve the conflict between my desires/mind and reality. It helps me to connect and accept whatever is happening in my life at the present moment.

Feel free to find your reason and meditate for a few days without judging your meditation. Sit with yourself and make the time to connect with your core. If you are struggling to do it on your own, Art of Living offers many guided meditations. The link is here.

If you are seeking it, you will find it!

Express

Sometimes talking to family and friends can be helpful in getting rid of your worries. But that might not work everytime.

We need to be careful before sharing our thoughts and worries. Not because they will take advantage of you! Because they might not be in a space to set you free and you might end up getting more stuck. Also, there is not everything we can share or say to another human being.

Expressing through writing is what has really worked for me because it gives me the space to write and set myself free. Ideally, I write and offer it to the divine.

The magnificient and compassionate Maa Ganga. Photo taken at Rishikesh, India

You are free to venture on how writing it down works for you. You might enjoy writing every day or only when something bothers you. In a moment of anxiety, take time to write as much as you can and let the thoughts/fears/impressions flow through you without resisting or holding them back. Be with the emotions that arise while writing and know that they are leaving you. Be free

There are multiple other ways to express and let it out. It can be painting for some, drawing mandala for others, and knitting for someone. Find your creative flow and let it go!

Cooking

No matter how busy or tired I am, cooking is something I never find an escape from. Well, it is definitely a personal choice. For me, I like to know what ingredients are in my food and I enjoy the touch, smell, and texture of them before they are finally cooked.

Eating from cans or frozen food isn’t even the last thing I prefer to do. I would rather eat a carrot and go to bed.

There are two reasons I love cooking-

1. It ensures I am eating freshly cooked meals which align with the Ayurveda lifestyle I follow. And of course, it is way cheaper and healthier than takeaways.

2. Cooking involves planning, hunting for recipes, and making sure they turn out right. It involves your senses of touch, taste, smell, and of course your very intention/bhav of cooking. In short, it keeps me alert, in the present moment, and keeps my creative flow alive.  

My favorite meal is cooking a full vegetarian thali

In the present world, where a lot of us lead a sedentary lifestyle. Cooking is one such physical activity that keeps you on your toes. Well, the basic idea is to involve our body in a physical activity to a level that it gets tired and the mind either evolves or dissolves.

Gardening and sewing are other examples.

Sometimes, I wish I belonged to a generation where they worked in the fields all day long, bathed the cows, had only fresh milk(paid no tax for recycling plastic milk bottle, seriously?), ate full, and slept by sunset and still lived a healthy and long life in sync with nature. At the end of the day, there must not be a MIND left to think of what people said or what the future would look like!

Seriously, what have we walked into?

Anyways, before I get too political, I hope the above points are useful to your efforts of letting go and letting changes happen in your life. Embrace whatever is right now and trust that it is for the best.

Feel free to share your LETTING GO practice in the comments below. Looking forward to reading it.

Lots of love and light

Srishti