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The
Art of NOT Letting Go
Sometime ago I wrote an article
called The Art of Letting Go . A short time after, I was sitting
at my computer and the words, "the art of NOT letting go" came to
me. I jotted them down not knowing why. Some days later as I pondered
their meaning, something important became clear to me.
I was a master at not letting
go, as I believe so many of us are. We hold onto anger, resentment,
jealousy and many other limiting emotions and reactive behaviors
generated by our past experiences. Often we think we have dealt
with these emotions only to find out much later they still reside
within us. Clients are shocked to find emotions and memories of
past events stored in their body without having any consciousness
awareness of their existence. This is like someone "flipping your
switch" and you end up responding completely out of proportion to
the event or person. Later you ask yourself, "Why did I react that
way?" The stored energetic pattern was activated by the other person's
actions or words and that triggered the old pattern or memory. Have
you ever had a reaction in the present moment in which your response
was based entirely on a similar event that happed from your past?
Of course you have because every reaction you have is based on a
past experience. This is why we find it so hard to live in the present
moment. We have lost the ability to let go like a child who can
be crying after falling and a few seconds later be laughing. These
types of energetic patterns hold us back from reaching our full
potential and they steal our energy.
My journey always takes me
back to the body as one of the ways for me to develop my spiritual
growth and create a stronger connection with who I really am, a
spiritual being having a human experience. Society teaches us that
our spiritual connection comes from somewhere out there, outside
of ourselves. I never understood this concept as I was growing up.
I have come to realize that this connection can be deeply influenced
by incorporating the knowledge, information and healing of the physical
body during our spiritual journey. When we do this we not only accelerate
our journey but we reap the benefits of physical and emotional healing.
We must no longer take our bodies for granted and ignore the information
they have to offer us.
"Ram Dass talks of how his
first spiritual goal was to be rid of his physical existence. He
came to understand, though, that our spirituality lies in bringing
higher consciousness to our world of form. When we can do so, we
can delight in all aspects of creation. "Soul exists in the balance
of spirit and matter. For a soulful life, we pay attention to both,
seeing spiritual qualities in material forms. As our awareness grows,
we begin to use consciousness to influence and create form. It's
through form that our spirit expresses." The Daily Guru
The first way to begin to
change anything in our lives is through awareness. As an alcoholic,
I did not believe I had a problem. It took many years to realize
that I did, and through this awareness, I could take the necessary
steps to change my life.
Over time, we disconnect
from our body. Who wants to feel pain? Moreover, I am not just talking
about physical pain. Emotional pain has the same affect on the body,
locking in behavioral patterns. We teach ourselves to disconnect
little by little until one day we end up in a place we never thought
we would be. It is like the brakes on our car. We do not realize
how bad they are until they start squeaking. Once we take the car
in for repair and begin to use the brakes again we realize just
how bad they were, even long before they started squeaking. How
disconnected have you become from you life and body. What has to
start squeaking before you notice?
Your body is one of the greatest
gifts you were given in this life. Going into partnership with the
body and treating it as you would want to be treated by someone
else can change your life. Yes, treat your body as if it were another
person. We all take our bodies for granted and mistreat it at some
point in our lives. Let's be honest, sometimes on a daily basis.
Yet it is still with us like a trusted friend always doing the best
it can for us. Shouldn't we be doing the same for it?
Beginning to learn from your
pain and fear can bring you great rewards and put you on a path
to healing from any dis-ease or disease in your life. Do not run
from your pain and fear but seek them out as the friends and teachers
they are meant to be. Remember to question authority, acquire knowledge
and awareness. Be open to changing your mind, beliefs and direction
as you receive new information. Remaining empowered during your
healing journey is paramount to manifesting your desired outcome.
Learn to reconnect with your body by exploring bodywork, yoga and
any other modality that brings you new awareness, joy and freedom.
Finally try this short meditation
to begin brining awareness back into you body. Remember no matter
how relaxed you believe yourself to be you can always go to a deeper
more relaxed state.
Find a quiet place to sit
or lie down. Turn the phone off and make sure you will not be disturbed.
Close your eyes and begin to scan your body. Find one place that
speaks the loudest to you. It may feel painful or just tight and
uncomfortable. Most people will not be able to relax this place.
In fact, the more attention you place on this spot the more it will
hurt in most cases. Begin to scan away from this point looking for
other areas in your body that are tight that you can relax. For
example, maybe your low back is tight and hurts. As you begin to
scan around you find that you are clinching your left fist and the
glut/buttocks muscles are tight. You relax these places and notice
the back pain eases. You continue to scan the rest of your body
looking for new places to relax away from the original spot. Always
remembering to revisit the places you previously found because they
will often tighten up again. Keep repeating this process for several
minutes or as long as you can. If you continue to practice this
exercise, you will be able to do it at any time and in any situation.
It can bring more peace and ease into you body and life. Over time,
it will retrain your muscles and body to be in a more relaxed state
and to respond to your intention immediately.
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