Today I was sitting down for my morning meditation practice and my mind was racing a mile a minute. Bills, calls, appointments and deadlines were running through my head. Packing and unpacking my boxes for my move; doing my own self-care practices; and moving my money around to pay all of the contractors, inspectors and business men involved in house purchases and sales.

I was a mess. I kept on coming back to my breath, noticing- “You’re thinking again. You’re worrying about things that are outside of your control. You’re using your company, the plans in your business, and the projects you have been working on as distracters to your worries.”

You see- my mind either was focused on worry of what I could not control. Worry of things that have not even happened yet. Worry about how it might go. OR my mind was planning head. Looking at the projects I want to get done with LSW- going over scripts for videos, rewording email copy, and playing over and over content for my next workshop.

This might sound like a highly unsuccessful meditation practice, if you’re not used to meditation. But I was actually happy with it and with myself. Part of meditation is the continuous refocusing that is done. It is about bringing your attention- once it has drifted to thoughts as it inevitably will- back to breath. It is about enhancing your awareness and observing your thoughts. So I’d say I was doing a darn good job of it today!

But what does this have to do with letting go? Well, I’m glad you asked because I’m about to tell you. I think of meditation as a minute-by-minute gift where I can practice my ability to let go. I can do one of a couple things when I meditate. I can:

• Become discouraged or disappointed in myself because of all of my “thinking” during practice and just stand up, walk away from it and give up after a short sit;
• I can just let my mind wander and think and think and think some more… having absolutely no awareness of my thoughts, letting them take control of me;
• Or I can observe that I am thinking. Notice what types of thoughts I am having. And continuously practice bringing my focus back to my focal point of meditation (breath, mantra, chakra, etc.).

So don’t you now see how in meditation practice one can actually practice the experience of letting go? Not sure yet? Well, no worries… here’s a little bit more detail to help you understand.

Another reason that meditation is analogous to letting go is that now that I am aware that I have these thoughts what do I do about it? Well, I can get all upset with myself, judge or criticize myself, and get up from the practice. OR-

I can continue with the sitting and without any judgment, I can observe the thoughts and let them go. I’ve heard from a couple of my meditation teachers it is like watching birds fly by in a clear blue sky. Or think of clouds as they pass on a gorgeous summer day. They just come into and out of your view without any troubles, without a care in the world- and like that- poof! They are gone.

Instead of berating yourself for “thinking” during meditation practice you can view it as a wonderful opportunity to let go. You can realize that each day you spend time strengthening your “letting go” muscle. When you sit and observe and just watch- when you release your thoughts without judging- you are letting go.

And finally, instead of controlling your thoughts- or letting them control you- you are releasing that tension and pressure through the act of letting these thoughts go. They don’t run your life. And you don’t have to let them. Meditation is a wonderful way to practice the experience of letting go each and every day.

How else can you practice letting go? What has been your experience with meditation or other forms of spiritual practice that may enhance your capacity to let go? How does it help your health?