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What Does “Letting Go” Really Mean?
A contemplative exploration of what it means to let go.
Is there something you’re holding onto that you’re ready to “let go” of? We hold on to things a whole lot, and sometimes when people say they want to “let go” of something, they’re really saying, “I don’t want to have this anymore.” So what does “letting go” really mean? Perhaps a more gentle understanding of letting something go will help you get better at actually doing it.
I’m a licensed mental health counselor who enjoys sharing mindful meditations and information about mindfulness. Below is a transcript of a meditation I led on this topic, and at the end of the article, you’ll find a link to the meditation video. In this guided meditation, we explore the idea of letting go and use some experiential activities and metaphors to help us understand “letting go” in some helpful ways. Let’s get started.
Meditation Transcript
Let’s begin this meditation by moving our bodies. I think it’s helpful to loosen ourselves up and make sure we’re as comfortable as we can be as we get started. For me, that’s often some stretching of the shoulders or rounding or arching the back.
Begin to work your way into whatever position you’d like to take for this meditation. That can be sitting like I’m doing. It can be lying down, or…
