Opening up and letting go in meditation can help us to feel a greater sense of freedom and ease in our lives. Our habitual pattern is to resist what is. We don’t like change, and we want things to go our way. When we resist what is, we create a state of inner conflict and tension, which increases stress.
When we resist, we become stressed, angry, or resentful. Sometimes we become preoccupied with how we think that things should be going, which creates additional resistance. Or we get stuck in wondering why things didn’t go our way, which often leads to thoughts about the world not being fair or a belief that something must be wrong with us.
All along I have just wanted to be free.
–Carole Maso, AVA
Opening up and letting go offers a path to peace. In meeting whatever is with acceptance, we open up to acknowledge how things are in the present moment. We practice letting go of the resistance and soften into acceptance. We may not like how things are, but acknowledging how things are and practicing acceptance can decrease our suffering and increase peace.
Once we have acknowledged how things are, we can use our inner wisdom to discern whether there’s anything we can do to change the situation or not. If there is something we can do, our next step may be action toward change. If we determine that there is nothing we can do to change the situation, then we might practice letting go of it.
In practicing opening up and letting go, we try to bring mindful awareness to the mental habit of wanting things to be otherwise, and we try to practice finding freedom in acceptance. Practicing acceptance decreases our stress and increases a sense of peace, happiness, wellbeing, and resilience.
“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.” –Thích Nhất Hạnh
Jen Johnson is a mindfulness coach and therapist teaching meditation for healing, creativity, and resilience. If you would like to learn more about mindfulness or develop a regular mindfulness practice, register for the MBSR online Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course.