LET GO AND FEEL THE INCREDIBLE LIGHTNESS OF LESS
This past Saturday morning, I sat up in my adorable little yurt, just as the sun was rising over the Sangre De Cristo mountains. I reached for my cozy slippers (I had brought them with me) and meandered over to the community kitchen to pour myself some hot tea.
As I walked back, the steam was rising off of my tea cup on this particularly chilly fall mountain morning. I quickly snuggled back into bed, still in full view of the sunrise, to contemplate the day, our retreat schedule and our group intentions.
HONESTLY, I DIDN'T WANT THAT MOMENT TO END.
Last weekend, I took an incredibly beautiful journey through the Colorado mountains, to our Fall Full Moon women’s retreat.
The early morning mountain sunrises were amazing, not to mention the warm soothing hot springs, a brilliant harvest full moon, and delicious fall-inspired food. With a deep inquiry into our personal limiting beliefs and old outdated ways around health and happiness, it was magical.
I feel lucky to have been immersed in feeling the beauty of the seasonal shift. (see photos below)
With the changing golden leaves and the fall afternoon light that seems to hit the aspen trees just right, nature displayed quite a presentation – hello Autumn.
EACH SEASON IS STEEPED WITH ITS OWN ENERGETIC IMPRINT AND GUIDANCE FOR LIVING WISELY FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
As the leaves were falling to the ground in their bright orange and reds, there was an innate sense of letting go that I was able to acknowledge. The gravity of Autumn is a metaphor for both our relationship to self and our relationship to nature.
Aligning ourselves inside and out with what is occurring around us in nature is a beautiful way to begin the radiant transition into a new season – Autumn.
Autumn is the time of transformation between the growth of summer and the dormancy of winter. Things are winding down, and once the harvest is complete, there is an opportunity to follow the inward flow into self-inquiry and inner listening – ground into the wisdom of the body and mind, compost and let go of what is now longer serving us.
Preparing for a strong and vital experience during the change of seasons can come with many inspirations inner and outer. Often, in the fall we talk of letting go, descending into the underworld, and a pulsation of contraction that guides us to listen deeper.
WHAT CAN YOU LET GO OF THIS FALL?
Letting go can be a little awkward and uncomfortable. Whether it is letting go of an outdated habit, a tired old negative thought, a bunch of old clothes that are cluttering up your closet, or a limiting belief about yourself, prepare yourself for some feelings.
Nothing supports this better than slowing down and savoring some extra sweet self-care, and the space to be in the peace of nature.
"IF YOU LET GO A LITTLE, YOU WILL HAVE A LITTLE PEACE. IF YOU LET GO A LOT, YOU WILL HAVE A LOT OF PEACE."
~AJAHN CHAH
Since it is the time of year that the season tells us to let go so I wrote you a few nuggets to help you along.
- Align with your WHY
What are you up to these days?
What are your priorities in your life?
What are you seeking?
These, and many other questions like these, will help you to reveal the truth of your WHY.
When you are clear with your WHY and the big picture of what you are seeking, you are then able to shed all of those things that do not align with your life.
This could be a habit that doesn't support you, an old pair of jeans that remind you of your past, or even an old pattern you have with eating that feels obsolete.
This could also be something internal, like a thought or an internal dialogue pattern that does not evoke momentum towards your priorities and your WHY.
Once you align with your WHY, and your true vision of heart, it is a lot easier to let go of the things that do not serve you.
You still might notice that letting go conjures up some emotional response for you, a little pulling on your heartstrings, or feeling as though you're not sure who you would be without your old ways.
Most would agree, it is worth a bit of feeling uncomfortable, awkward, or even a little bit vulnerable, so that you can clear away those old templates that no longer serve you.
Recently, for me personally, it seems to be that I am working with my internal thoughts that are keeping me small, as well as the clearing out old belongings that no longer feel energetically aligned – mostly from my closet. Clearing out my old thoughts (at least working on it) and old clutter creates a nice lightness in my body and mind.
Old traits and old treasures carry energy. How we think, how we eat, how we practice our daily self-care, how we dress, how we create a sacred space in our homes and lives, and those with whom we surround ourselves are some good places to start.
2. Release your Resistance
Here’s what I also know about letting go: The most terrifying part is just before you loosen your grip. Once you let go, momentum will take over and you will feel lighter and more free than ever before.
When we hang on, it is our resistance. Resistance is tricky, sneaky, and loves to keep us stuck.
What we need is to build momentum, and the ease will come. In the meantime, notice where you are procrastinating, covering up feelings, or numbing yourself.
So often we hang on to something or some of our ways because of fear. We don’t know what is coming, so our minds choose something with which we are already familiar.
Old, outdated inner and outer qualities can weigh us down. They can make us feel heavy and stuck, lethargic and hopeless, and simply block the full expression of our hearts and our WHY.
Acknowledging the fear of unfamiliar ways, new beginnings, and the releasing of the old is medicine during a letting go process. If you feel it, you can heal it. When you loosen your grip on these old ways, a comforting sense of freedom and lightness emerges.
3. Transfigure, Transform and Thrive
Just like the leaves falling to the ground composting and fertilizing the earth for next year's bounty and bloom when we let go of things that do not serve us, they too compost into a bigger and brighter space for the new to come in and bloom.
This process of downward decomposition into the earth that we witness both inside and out is one that is familiar to the nature of our bodies since the beginning of time.
So often, we think of ourselves as observers or witnesses to nature's beauty and energetics, when really, we feel the same energetic pulls as all of nature because truthfully, we are nature.
The gravity of fall is a specific type of energy that calls us to let go, release the old and reveal the new bigger and better parts of ourselves. It is exciting. A journey into the depths of your soul's intentions and purposeful life.
We are always growing and changing. Nothing in life stays the same. Enjoy the process this fall as you synch up with the beauty and sweetness of the season.
Here are some photos from our magical retreat weekend:
I'm a Nutritional therapist, food psychology expert and Lifestyle Coach.
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