The topic of “Letting Go” was certainly a thought provoking and loaded one for our May Circle. Thinking about how we can learn to let go of our attachments, fears, expectations, regrets, judgments---you name it---made for very insightful discussion! We all agreed that what makes it so difficult is that our egos tend to hold on to all of it for dear life!
Author and Spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle believes we create and maintain our own problems because they give us a sense of identity. We tend to cling to our worries as if doing so gives us power. Tolle believes that “letting go” is the path to finding one’s truest sense of self. He writes:
The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form, and therefore knows nothing of the most important dimension of human existence: the sacred, the stillness, the formless, the divine.
You don’t solve problems by thinking; you create problems by thinking. The solution always appears when you step out of thinking and become still and absolutely present, even if only for a moment. Then, a little later when thought comes back, you suddenly have a creative insight that wasn’t there before.
In his book, Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender, David R. Hawkins describes the “inner mechanism of surrender” as the way to let go of obstacles and negativity and achieve Enlightenment.
Dr. Wayne Dyer calls for "Letting Go and Letting God!" He asserts the first step to getting you there is to let go of the ego's attachments of being right all the time. We must choose kindness as an “entry point” to “experiencing a more significant life.”
The ladies in our Circle agreed that while it is indeed extremely difficult to Let Go, Let God, Surrender, and Be in the Moment, particularly when it comes to our children---attempting to create a daily practice of letting go “creates an expansiveness and an opening to many more of life’s possibilities.” When we’re successful at letting go even just a tiny bit, the benefits miraculously appear!
Here are their suggestions:
Stop over analyzing everything and learn some tools to quiet the mind
Meditate and practice yoga daily to find the stillness within and be in the present moment
Pray to and learn to trust in your higher power
Actively release your negative self-talk and stress to the Universe and learn to trust the Universe has your back
Be actively conscious of your thought patterns and work to change them in order to feel better
Find a creative outlet to express yourself like painting, writing, cooking, etc.
Use physical activity and exercise to increase your endorphins to help you feel better
Take positive actions towards your desires such as making the phone call for a new job, booking that trip, volunteering
Remember to smile and laugh every day
Take care of yourself and your own needs first
Make a conscious effort to stop trying to always be “right” and choose kindness
Be kind to yourself
If you let go a little, you will have peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace---Ajahn Chah
Do you find letting go to be difficult? Have you found tools to help you learn how? Have you made the connections of the benefits from doing so? We’d love to hear what you have to add!
Resources:
New Living Magazine, Letting Go and Finding Your Truest Self, by Eckhart Tolle http://www.newliving.com/issues/jan_07/articles/eckharttolle.html
Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender by David R. Hawkins M.D. Ph.D,https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EY818TQ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
Tiny Buddha, 40 Ways to Let Go and Feel Less Pain by Lori Deschene http://tinybuddha.com/blog/40-ways-to-let-go-and-feel-less-pain/
Dr. Wayne Dyer, Letting Go http://www.drwaynedyer.com/blog/letting-go/
The Language of Letting Go card deck by Melody Beattie https://www.amazon.com/Language-Letting-Go-Cards-50-Card/dp/B
We, A Manifesto for Women Everywhere by Gillian Anderson and Jennifer Nadel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014PUQZX6/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1