Letting Go

I realize there’s something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how they’re experts at letting things go. Jeffrey McDaniel

How can we be more like winter trees and let the dead leaves fall?  How can we know when it is time to let go of the leaves on our tree that are dying? What do you need to let go of today? When I take yoga classes, I often hear teachers encourage those of us taking the class to let go of whatever is no longer serving us. Here are some possibilities of leaves that need to fall off your tree that are no longer serving you.

• perfection
• control
• the desire to achieve
• resentment
• fear
• shame
• guilt
• stress

Take a moment to take a deep breath in and then exhale and let something go. Take another breath and exhale and find your release again. Let go of something that you are holding. There is a metaphorical weight on your chest that you can release. There is a dead leave on your tree that needs to fall to the ground. Can you let go?

What are the practices or places in your life that help you to let go?  Counseling, breathing, prayer, worship, yoga, and time with loved ones have all been helpful to me on the journey of letting go. How do you let go of the stress you internalize and hold within you? Take some time to take inventory of the things you are carrying within you that you need to release. Are there any self-care practices you have done in the past that you are not doing right now that might help you let the dead leaves fall? Letting go is not an easy task and we must be intentional to work on letting go everyday.

Let’s stay on the journey of letting go together,

Christy