True Power through greater surrender

A theme I've come to know through working with many people on the emotional and energetic level is how much we armor, protect and try to toughen ourselves to deal with the many wounds and traumas we experience throughout life. While these are important and useful coping mechanisms for us at certain points, there comes a time when these patterns start to inhibit our growth and prevent us from connecting to who we are and what we have to share. Breaking down these walls is a process, and requires an awareness and commitment to repeatedly shifting the ingrained patterns we hold, and reprogramming our bodies and minds to react to situations in new ways.

As a starting point, we often need to teach our bodies that it is safe to let down our guard. The walls we erect to protect ourselves are also the barriers that most limit us and restrict our ability to grow, connect and self-express. The practice that I am going to offer you here is one way to feel into deeply letting go, surrendering both body and mind in order to feel the freedom of just being you. When I first did this, I went into it thinking I've done enough self-work that it wouldn't be a big deal. I was surprised to discover that when I actually set everything down, I could see the many ways I wasn't being true to myself or honoring the desires of my heart.

The practice I'm offering today goes something like this:

Lay down someplace comfortable where you won't be disturbed for awhile. Turn off your phone and add some white noise if that helps you tune in more fully. Take a moment to arrive and then take a few deep breaths. Feel the surface beneath you holding you up. Surrender all your weight to it. Breathe slowly and fully, letting the tension in your body melt away. See how much of your weight, your body holding, you can let go of. Spend a few minutes here, paying special attention to relaxing your face, neck and shoulders. Keeping a relaxed focus on your heart, start to see what you can surrender. Let go of your to-do list. Let go of your worries and fears. Let go of your expectations of yourself and other's expectations of you. Let go of your identity and labels. Give up your worries about the past and plans for the future. For just these few minutes, surrender your attachment to your family, friends, coworkers, house, and land. Imagine all these things sinking into the ground below you or floating off into the sky. As they all fall away, see what is left. You should be feeling light and empty, perhaps seeing a glow shining in your heart. In this space, what does it feel like to be you? Can you see some of the ways that you shape and mold yourself in your daily life, now that you are free? Stay in this feeling state for as long as you'd like, maybe giving yourself 10-20 minutes to really allow it to settle in. As thoughts arise, continue to surrender them, letting them also sink into the floor or float away, like there is nothing solid enough in you to hold onto them. You may also want to tune into your higher self or spiritual guidance. What if you truly surrender to them? Then what does your life look like and how do you feel?

When you are ready, bring yourself gently back into your body, and into the present moment, remembering where and who you are. As you come out of this experience, take a moment to reflect on what you might want or need to change in order to live more in alignment with the true self you experienced. Write down any insights or reflections so that you can remember and revisit them later.
As you repeat this process over time, you will not only be able to more easily connect with your true, expansive self, but will also begin to feel safer in your body and your experience, creating new emotional and energetic patterns that will give you greater freedom, allow you to grow, feel empowered and connect with others in deeper and more meaningful ways. Though it may seem paradoxical, it is only through greater surrender and vulnerability that we can find our true power.