” Let go “ means, according to author Colette Portelance, to give up control and struggle, to accept the situation, “ stop fighting to put yourself in a position of listening to feelings and intuition so as to be able to act in the direction of the interior messages “. It is an attitude which makes it possible to find serenity, love and freedom and which implies acceptance. In The master in the heart, Annie Marquier insists on this need to accept things as they are: “ we cannot repeat enough how much accepting a situation allows us to change it. “

There are various relaxation techniques to reach the let go, based essentially on the fact of occupying the mind with something other than what preoccupies the individual. In particular, they help to understand that the fact of continuing to think constantly about the worrying situation is not going to improve things. Concentration and breathing play major roles in it.  

Nearly 8 out of 10 French people consider that having time to be able to “let go” is essential in their life: for more than a third of them, it is even “essential”.

Nearly 6 in 10 French people claim that they need less than 30 minutes to let go. Women would mostly look for quiet and restful moments, while men would prefer intense moments.

To let go is not to be indifferent, but simply to admit that you cannot act for someone else.

To let go is not to cut ties, but to realize that you cannot control others. To let go is not to be passive, but on the contrary to learn from the consequences inherent in an event.

To let go is not to blame or want to change others, but to give the best of yourself. To let go is not to take care of others, but to feel concerned by them.

To let go is not to assist but to encourage.

To let go is not to judge but to grant others the right to be human.

Letting go is not about taking care of everything that happens, but letting others manage their own destiny.

To let go is not to mother others, but to allow them to face reality.

To let go is not to reject it is on the contrary to accept.

Letting go is not harassing, lecturing or scolding, but trying to identify your own weaknesses and get rid of them.

Letting go is not adapting things to your own desires, but taking each day as it comes and appreciating it.

Letting go is not criticizing or correcting others, but striving to become what one dreams of. Letting go is not regretting the past, but living the present and growing for the future.

Letting go is accepting not to understand everything now… or maybe never.

To let go is to fear less and love more. I wish you a pleasant week filled with JOY and HAPPINESS!

Extract from Nathalie Maffei-Stievenard’s book, 155 inspiring stories, Editions Edilivre, 5 déc. 2014 – 392 pages.

Intended to promote learning in physical and mental relaxation and letting go, this text appears in a collection compiled by GISME and accessible at this address. To get the most out of it, read it aloud or record it and listen to it when you are comfortably seated.

I settle into a posture that is favorable to me and that I can keep effortlessly.

I know that by correcting and refining my body postures, I can ennoble and embellish my inner states.

For now, I put myself in the physical and mental attitude most conducive to appeasement, relaxation, inner well-being. I will take advantage of this relaxation session to take into consideration everything that is going on in me and to actualize the best of myself.

I can get rid of the habits that poison my life. I can feel good, directing my inner states. I inhale and exhale diligently, taking my time.

I watch my breathing with the vigilance of a sentry guarding the front door of a city. I can thus take care of the good progress of all my exchanges with the environment.

I can make sure that I only bring good things into me, whether it is air, food or drink.

During my next meal, for example, I can focus on carefully checking my food entries. I will be able to pay attention to the taste of foods and their effects on my body. I will be able to practice eating slowly and consciously, the same way I breathe now. Bringing air – or food – into me is a vital act that allows me to transform energy from outside into physical and mental energy.

Now I look at what is going on in my mind and I am at peace. I put myself in the middle of nature, in full harmony with the water, the grass and the sun; as light as a bird, as serene as a stream. The leaves of a tree rustle in the wind, and I feel in a state of fullness. I will take advantage of this state of inner calm to project myself into a difficult, weakening, destabilizing situation. By keeping the serenity that I have just established solidly in me, I visualize a situation that is particularly unpleasant to me.

I see myself, in this situation, adopting the ways of being that are most favorable to me. I see myself taking advantage of this situation to bring about noble attitudes, well adapted to reality, suitable for bringing about happy outcomes. I can use my imagination in this way, to compose and imprint changes in my life. I can change the way I look at myself and consider leading my life, with the qualities that are unique to me. I can mobilize creative ideas that give me a taste for life.

I can work to implement realistic changes in my life by making my subconscious an ally. I can find within myself the necessary resources to no longer go against my deepest interests.

I take a deep breath as I soak up these ideas, and keep them within me, opening my eyes and making myself present to the reality around me. I move my body; I feel reconciled with him and in great shape.

« Relaxation consists of combining two states that do not naturally coexist: muscle relaxation and concentration. In general, when we have a good muscular relaxation, the mind escapes and we fall asleep. In addition, if you are very concentrated, you are tense on the muscular level. To relax, you have to train yourself to concentrate while being relaxed on a muscular level. Abdominal breathing is always used to induce the state of relaxation ». Albert Eric, How to become a stress reliever, O. Jacob, Paris, 1994, p162.