Letting Go

One of the main principles of Mindfulness in Healing is to offer people what you can in the way of healing and letting go of any expectations for their results.

When I teach mindfulness breaks in people’s homes or in my space, I do my best to encourage them to have a daily practice and then let go of the result.

When Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh wrote about 5 Practices for Nurturing Happiness letting go was number 1. He writes,

The first method of creating joy and happiness is to cast off, to leave behind. There is a kind of joy that comes from letting go. Many of us are bound to so many things. We believe these things are necessary for our survival, our security, and our happiness. But many of these things—or more precisely, our beliefs about their utter necessity—are really obstacles for our joy and happiness.
– Thich Nhat Hanh

This is reinforced by a statement attributed to the Buddha:

Whatever is not yours, let go of it.
Your letting go of it will be for your long-term happiness and benefit.
– The Buddha

But, as this poem suggests, to “let go” does not mean to stop caring:

To ‘let go’ does not mean to stop caring;
it means I can’t do it for someone else.

To ‘let go’ is not to cut myself off;
it is the realization that
I must not control another.

To ‘let go’ is not to fix;
but to be supportive.

To ‘let go’ is not to be in the middle
arranging all the outcomes;
but to allow others to affect their destinies.

To ‘let go’ is not to be protective;
it is to permit another to face reality.

To ‘let go’ is not to regret the past;
but to grow and live for the future.

To ‘let go’ is to fear less
and love more.

~ Author Unknown

So now let go of all that you read and just be present for whatever it is that you are trying to accomplish right now or just be and fall into a deep meditation. Take a deep breath into your abdomen, hold for a count of three, and just let go. Repeat this as many times as you like and just relax.

What would you like to let go of today? Please write your answer below!