Exhaling + Letting Go
Our exhale is a powerful tool to let go of thoughts, feelings, and energy that doesn’t serve us. On our inhale, we can enjoy breathing in refreshing, clear energy. Then, on our exhale, we can cleanse our mind and body of any built up stress: consciously freeing ourselves from our worries, pain, and suffering as we gently breathe out.
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Breathe in, awareness. Breathe out, ease.
Breathe in, nourishing. Breathe out, peace. |
Inhale, present moment
Exhale, wonderful moment |
Breathe in, vitality. Breathe out, release.
Breathe in, calm. Breathe out, freedom. |
“When people say "Let it go," what they really mean is "Get over it," and that's not a helpful thing to say. It's not a matter of letting go - you would if you could. Instead of "Let it go," we should probably say "Let it be"; this recognizes that the mind won't let go and the problem may not go away, and it allows you to form a healthier relationship with what's bothering you.” ― Jon Kabat-Zinn
Disconnecting from Painful Memories
With mindfulness, we can improve our memories every time we think of them. If we’re recalling an enjoyable memory, we can honor it with appreciation. This will enhance our happiness more and more each time we use mindfulness to explore and deepen our gratitude for our past. On the other hand, if we associate negative feelings like pain, fear, or sadness with a specific memory, we’ll experience that suffering every time we’re reminded of that event. Fortunately, we can rewrite our hurt or fearful feelings by recalling them with loving-kindness, compassion, and acceptance. Even if we think of the memory in a habitually negative way at first, we can pause, take a deep breath, and match our unskillful thought with a wiser, more nurturing one. We can slowly reform our feelings about past events by remembering challenging times in a positive perspective, looking for the lessons we learned or the strengths we gained. The more positives we can acknowledge, the better we’ll feel. Even if it seems bleak or feels silly at first, intentionally looking for positives and accepting things in the past as they are can liberate us from our guilt, shame, or regret. With enough positive reinforcement, we can disconnect from our negative feelings and find acceptance and gratitude for all of our memories, even ones that we struggle with greatly now.
May we find ease in our mind.
May we let go of our traumas.
May we become insightful, brave, and balanced for the benefit of society.
May we let go of our traumas.
May we become insightful, brave, and balanced for the benefit of society.
Letting Go of Frustration
Our desire to be in control of what happens to us each day will only introduce conflict and frustration. We can bring our attention to our need for control and relax it. How would it feel if we instead put our energy into being flexible, tolerant, and understanding? What if we let go of expectations of other people and instead practiced acceptance of others? Can we extend our mindful acceptance of this moment to offer more flexibility in our everyday situations? Flexibility is a strength, while resistance is depleting and stressful. When a situation feels out of control, we can breathe slowly and deeply to cultivate strength and create space inside. We can fill this space with peace, love, patience, adaptability, and other positive qualities so we may take refuge within ourselves in stressful situations, giving us the energetic support to be even more mindful and accepting of each moment. When we don’t resist what’s happening, we can uncover new insights, have the patience and energy to transform uncomfortable feelings, and have the clarity of mind to problem solve and make creative improvements.
Let Go and Live Now
Let go of the past. You are not the same person as you were. Be you, now. Live fully in each moment. Stay in the present and be free of worries, guilt, and regret. Live now and enjoy the lightness and unnoticed beauty in this moment. You are beautiful for all you’ve experienced, for your many skills, and your special one-of-a-kind energy that adds valuable positivity to this world.
“You are more than the mistakes you’ve made. You are the wisdom, love, strength, and compassion you’ve gained from all you’ve been through.”
— Karen Salmansohn
— Karen Salmansohn
Mindfulness Balloons Meditation
This mindfulness exercise is a wonderful, creative way to release from difficult feelings connected to our past.
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To start, draw three circles on a piece of paper, then add a squiggly line coming down from the bottom of each circle. You may also use three individual pieces of paper and draw one balloon on each. These are our mindfulness balloons. Our mindfulness balloons contain all the things we struggle to let go of. Write down one thing you haven’t been able to let go of in each balloon. If doing this exercise with kids, crumple the paper and say something to “let go” of the balloons, like, “I no longer hold onto my anger at my Dad” or "I no longer hold on to the embarrassment about that memory" or "I let go of all the energy in that old relationship" or "I let go of judging my actions when I was acting out of pain." Breathe deeply, and focus on releasing painful emotions as you crumple the paper. Tearing the paper can be cathartic for deep, strong emotions. Check in with your emotions, do you feel a shift in how attached you are to what you wrote in the balloons? If not, draw three more balloons and repeat the exercise until you feel a shift in your feelings. Another way to do this exercise is to safety burn the paper you drew the balloons on. Transforming the energy that we wrote on the paper into fire and ash can be deeply cleansing and healing. Using three pieces of paper (one for each balloon - you can tear or cut one paper into three parts) can highlight individual thoughts and makes burning them easier (burn them one at a time). Please practice proper fire safety and only burn paper responsibly, with reverence for transforming the energy. ALWAYS check that all embers are COMPLETELY extinguished. |
What can you let go of?
Write it in the balloons and let it go! |
Present Moment, Clear-Minded Moment
We can celebrate each day when we allow ourselves to experience reality as it is. Instead of fighting and resisting our feelings, we can pause, breathe, and look into our surroundings and inner feelings to find insight. When we are present, we are clear-minded, and we can more easily see the difference between what contributes to our health and well-being vs what contributes to our suffering and ill-being.
Breathing mindfully helps us cultivate strength and clarity so we may move through hard moments with grace, wisdom, and good intention.
Breathing mindfully helps us cultivate strength and clarity so we may move through hard moments with grace, wisdom, and good intention.
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Breathing in, I am breathing in Breathing out, I am breathing out Breathing in, I am healing Breathing out, I release from my pain, illness, and suffering Breathing in, I‘m grateful for my health Breathing out, I offer love to my body Breathing in, I am safe in this moment Breathing out, I can find happiness in this moment Breathing in, I am happy Breathing out, I am free |
Breathing in, I am aware I'm breathing in Breathing out, I am aware I'm breathing out Breathing in, I am free Breathing out, I allow my mind to be still Breathing in, I find ease in my breath Breathing out, in the present moment I dwell Breathing in, I come home to the present moment Breathing out, I let go of my past Breathing in, I come home to the present moment Breathing out, I live free of worry, anxiety, and fear |