Letting Go Meditation

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The same meditation on YouTube, with a breathing circle to follow.

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The full words of the meditation. Tap a line to listen from there.

1. Hi, I'm Anna. This is a meditation for letting go. Not of a person, necessarily. Of the grip. The part of you that keeps holding on hard to something you can't control.
2. Get comfortable. Let your hands rest, palms up if you can. That small gesture already tells your body something.
3. Breathe in through your nose... and out through your mouth.
4. In... and out, a little longer this time.
5. Notice what you've been holding today. Not just in your mind. In your body. Your jaw. Your hands. The muscles across your shoulders.
6. On your next breath in, tighten your hands into fists. Hold it... a little tighter... and let go. Feel the difference.
7. Now your shoulders. Lift them up toward your ears. Hold... and let them fall.
8. That release you just felt is the whole idea. Holding takes effort. Letting go is what happens when you stop adding effort.
9. Now bring to mind the thing you've been gripping. Maybe it's a person. A conversation that didn't go the way you needed. Waiting for a message. A version of the future you were counting on.
10. You don't have to name it out loud. Just let it be there in front of you.
11. Notice the part of you that keeps reaching for it. Checking. Replaying. Planning what you'd say. That part is trying to protect you. It thinks that if it holds on hard enough, it can stop the hurt.
12. You can thank it. Silently, if you like. Thank you for trying to keep me safe. I can take it from here.
13. Letting go doesn't mean you stop caring. It doesn't mean it didn't matter. It means you stop carrying it every minute of the day.
14. Imagine whatever you're holding resting in your open hands. Feel its weight. It might be heavy.
15. Now imagine setting it down beside you. Not throwing it away. Just putting it down for a while. It will still be there if you need it.
16. Notice your hands now. Empty. Open.
17. Breathe in... and as you breathe out, say to yourself: I can't control this. I can control how I hold it.
18. Once more. I can't control this. I can control how I hold it.
19. There may be a pull to pick it back up. That's normal. Letting go isn't one moment. It's something you practise, over and over, every time you notice yourself gripping again.
20. And each time, it can be as simple as this. Notice. Breathe. Open your hands.
21. Let's take three slow breaths together. In... and out.
22. In... and out.
23. In... and the longest breath out of the whole session.
24. When you're ready, come back to the room. Move your fingers. Roll your shoulders. And if the same thing keeps pulling at you, it can help to say it out loud. I'm here for that, any time.